When Should You Start Decorating for Christmas?
With the holidays quickly approaching, many people have begun to dust off their decorations. Every year the question comes up, When is the appropriate time to decorate for the holidays? Many people believe it is after Thanksgiving , while others like to begin decorating right after Halloween.
I asked people from different generations when they think is the best time to decorate and they responded differently, but many people either said right after Thanksgiving or after Halloween. No one said that they wait until after the first week of December to decorate.
"Whenever you want to, but the beginning of November at the earliest"
"Definitely, after Thanksgiving"
"Decorate after Thanksgiving and decorate for Thanksgiving. If you decorate before it takes away from Thanksgiving"
"November 1st because you want to be a normal person who likes the holidays"
In the United States, it is most common for people to begin decorating after Thanksgiving. However, people born in Generation X (1965 to 1980), are the most likely to wait until the last minute to decorate, while Millennials (1981 to 1996) are ready to spread holiday cheer as quickly as possible.
My family decorates for Thanksgiving with turkeys and pumpkins all around the house. We typically wait until after the turkeys are taken down before we put up the Christmas tree, which is right around the end of Thanksgiving and towards the beginning of December. Thanksgiving is a special holiday that comes along with being thankful for things that are sometimes overlooked, so why try and rush that unique time by putting up the Christmas decorations a few extra weeks in advance? Also, it would be a little strange to be sitting around a table with family talking during Thanksgiving dinner while surrounded by Christmas decorations. Sometimes it is hard, especially with the early releases of new holiday songs and albums, along with many stores decorating around mid-November for the December holidays to wait to start celebrating until after Thanksgiving. However, it is important to allow ourselves to live in the moment and be thankful, especially on Thanksgiving. The December holidays will come before we know it, and then we can decorate, celebrate, and be merry.
By Kathryn Pope