Just curious because I notice that a lot of our American friends that celebrate Christmas put their trees up for American Thanksgiving, a couple of people at the beginning of November. I thought I was early because I usually put it up the 1st of December. Obviously using a real tree, you couldn't do it much before the week before Christmas, but it is becoming a tradition for Americans to put it up for Thanksgiving?
Gee I remember the good old days when it went up Christmas Eve, haha!
Heehee and while we are at it, how many already have their shopping done and things wrapped? I have started but am nowhere near done, I usually try to be done by December 1.
Ok, I am a sucker for punishment, how many are done their holiday baking or started it even?
Hugs Squirrelly
Puttin mine up next Wednesday Nov 30th so that I can get the Advent stockings up and filled for Dec 1st.
Well, I usually put it up after Dec.16 (DH b day) and down b4 kids bday (dec.31) however my five year old is driving us nuts and after I finished my buttermilk pies which the recipe was so nicley provided to me here we are putting it up today... I can't take her nagging me anymore!!!
As for shopping, I haven't stated...yikes...probably next week, now that we have snow, it puts me in desperation mode!!!
As for baking....hmmmmmmm...guess I should start that!!!!!!
Ok, now you've scared me squirrelly!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Hi there,
Well, I don't put my tree up for Thanksgiving because it is in October, however, I will be putting it up this weekend. I usually put it up around Nov.25 - Dec.1 . Have noticed a few people in my neighbourhood who have had their tree up since the beginning of November. I do have most of my shopping done (all excepts my DHs) and they are all wrapped, too. I am not usually this organized I just had to be this year since I have to work a TONNE of overtime and I have school on Saturdays right up until Dec. 17th. Plus all my baking and decorating.
I remember putting the tree up on Christmas Eve, but that's because my dad didn't like it up any earlier and it was always down within 2 days - BAH! Humbug !!! 
Merry Christmas everyone !!!
Well Charleydog, haha, that was the purpose, I figure if I am freaking out, I want company, haha!
I notice a lot of people take the tree down fairly soon after Christmas, we usually leave it up until Little Christmas, January 6th.
Kiddiekakes, this is funny, but I haven't heard of people making Advent Stockings before, just those little Advent Calendars or wooden ones with little candy treats, but not stockings. I like that idea, haha, could keep that stocking going until Christmas for the Christmas day refill. Is this a tradition in your family?
Oh to further freak you out Charleydog, one of the ladies on this site had her tree up with wrapped presents underneath by the first of November!
Hugs Squirrelly
Sedinga, you are a Canuck too! Haha, yeah, if we put it up for Thanksgiving, we would be way ahead of the game, haha!
Hugs Squirrelly
we bought our x-mas tree yesterday ... I love buying it the day after Thanksgiving... that is the only kind of shopping I like to do that day..... shopping 
...nope haven't started. I don't like to get my kids alot of stuff .. I have them on a three present budget each, with the logic that Jesus only got three gifts ....it's still working for me mind you they are only 5 and 6. DH should not be a problem I know exactly what to buy him.... it's all the other little gifts you have to get for other people that have me stressed out 
holiday baking .. I'm making all the teachers the cookie x-mas trees and a baked goods for a couple of neighbors ... x-mas I'm going to cheat for the meal I'm gonna buy it made from a lebanese restaurant ...yum!!! so I can enjoy more time baking.
Our tradition has been to put it up the weekend right after Thanksgiving since I can remember. My parents are both teachers so if we wanted to decorate for Christmas we did it on the loonnngggg holiday weekend. Otherwise, we would never get it up. We have to buy a new tree this year so we are putting ours up next weekend.
I am finished shopping except for DH & my little brother. Most presents this year are some kind of craft because $$ is always tight. My husband's family buys for EVERYONE. So we did cookies in a jar for families as a whole. That tradition is just too expensive when I have 6 extended families to buy for. 
Happy Holidays Everyone!
BellaRosa
The day after Thanksgiving. A fresh one, straight from the tree farm.
I just put mine up today. It usualy goes up on Thanksgiving or the day after. i take it down the beginning of Jan. I love Christmas, so I leave the tree up as long as possible.
I've started shopping & only have 3 people left !!!!
Haven't even started baking yet .
Traditionally our tree goes up the weekend following Thanksgiving, but DD is in Houston with my mom. so we'll wait until she's back.
My Christmas shopping is mostly done, but none of it is wrapped. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of myself that I only had 1 1/2 people left to buy for by Thanksgiving.
Holiday baking probably won't start for a couple of weeks.
WOW - can't get over the fact that a lot of you guys have already put up your trees - are they real live christmas trees??
Well, here in Denmark (Europe) Christmas is on the 24th of December. In our family the tree goes up on the 23rd and we then decorate it in the evening but a lot of families put up their tree on the 24th. Most people take the tree down on the 31st, getting it out of the house so they can put up the New Years stuff (which is taken down again on the 1st of January).
In Denmark we start decorating on Dec. 1st, or on the 1st Sunday of Advent, where we also light the first candle on the Advent Wreath. The shops and streets have been decorated for some weeks now, but most people wait until the beginning/middle of December before decorating at home.
As for the shopping this year will be different as we're going to Thailand for almost 3 weeks (mum and dad are paying 
), and won't be home until the day before Christmas. Because my BIL and SIL will be with her family in France for Christmas, we'll get together at the beginning of January and celebrate Christmas, DH's bday and our nephew's 2nd bday.
We'll just be having a quiet Christmas this year since we'll at my ILs, and we'll just be the four of us .....
Looking forward to sunbathing on the beaches of Koh Chang in just 10 days 
/mmariamm
Nope - fake tree so I can leave it up for a couple of months - Christmas in USA in Dec 25th. I LOVE the christmas season!!!!
Well, I can say I am no where near as prepared as some of you!! My goodness. That is my dream though. The last few years, I have been out on Christmas Eve trying to finish!!
Was going to put the tree up this weekend buy my oldest daughter is with her dad. May still put it up Sunday evening when she gets home.
Presents. hmmmm.. I HAVE started! YEAH for me!! No where near being finished though!! Any ideas for a 16 year old that the only thing she wants is a car (that isn't going to be able to happen by the way!! lol)
Baking, I usually do that a week or two before Christmas. Just do some for my family and a few neighbors. I AM almost done with my Christmas cards though!!!! WOOHOO. A first for me! All I have left is a few for people at Church. I am very excited about that.
my tree is already up. I put it up friday after thanksgiving! It is artifical. I love it. I am even done with the shopping except for three people! this is the first year that I am done early!
ALWAYS get mine up the weekend after Thanksgiving (US)...but my "carriers" aren't here and I'm goofed up this year. Maybe tonite....if I hurry!!!! I used to be put off by people who put theirs up before Thanksgivng, but I love to look at mine so much, that I want to start putting it up sooner. I love the season, why not extend it?????? More is better, right?
Hey Squirrely!! Where are you in Canada ?? Im just asking because I was wondering if you have snow yet or have gotten any at all ? I live in Edmonton and we have only had a VERY small skiff that melted the next day. This is a very wierd year for winter (we have hit +18 a couple of times in NOVEMBER !!! ), but I don't mind. I would love it if it would snow Christmas Eve and then melt on Boxing Day 
! I just hope that we aren't going to have snow still in June because of our late start this year....
Gotta love Mother Nature 
The last few years I've tried to convince my husband to purchase a fake tree. After seeing how much fun my sister's kids had putting their own fake tree together, he finally agreed. So, last year we bought one, and I'm very pleased with it. We had to go to 5 different stores to find the one I liked, and I drove my husband nuts.
This year, we're pudding up the tree today, after dinner. My niece and nephew are coming to help, they live only couple of blocks away. And tomorrow we'll be helping them put up their own tree, or our 2.5 year old will.
We will also decorate most of the house with different X-mas decorations, and put up mini trees in different locations. I really like the way the house looks when it's all decorated.
Emi
I have not even started. This year, I told my mom she is not allowed to put up our old, crappy tree, and I was gonna buyt her a new one. I just have to wait to get paid on Wednesday. We usually get our Christmas bonus on the Dec 1st paycheck, and thats where all the christmas present come from also. So, no, I have not even started my shopping. I am usually going until at least December 23rd. Refuse to go on Christmas eve!!!
charlieinMO,
I wanted a car when I was 16 so my Dad asked me what kind I wanted & the color. When I opened my presents, there was a dealer key box & man was I excited. When I opened it....ready to see those keys....there was a nice shiny blue honda civic hot wheels!!! I wasnt laughing, but I got a car. hehe Still one of my best Christmas memories!
BellaRosa
My Husband is outside on the roof as we speak putting the lights on !!!
He already has the inflatable Santa out side and his reindeers !!!
He gets so excited about the holidays !!!
Me... I am inside baking with my cousin
The Tree went up Yesterday !!!
SOO Glad I am not the only one getting started!!
BellaRosa. my mom did the same thing to me!!! I got a black transam with T-tops! Too funny! She said she felt really bad after. I wasn't real happy, but now I laugh about it! Hmmm, maybe I should give it a try, you know, pass on the tradition!! 
I have two years inbetween each of my kids so I am hoping I can pull that off with all of them....but I know I will be passing it on to my daughter since she is the oldest. I will also catch the most grief from her, but it is Christmas! You have to have some fun!
I am off to finish putting my snowmen out!
We usually put ours up the day after Thanksgiving. This year we have boxes all over the dining room trying to get organized and rid of stuff we don't need. (we are moving across country next summer) So no where to put the tree. We will probably put it in the living room next week though.
Confession time: what is the latest you have ever taken your tree down???
I believe mine was March. My daugther was 3 and son was a small baby and I just didn't have the energy to take it down. My mom came up for a visit and saw that we still had the tree up and took it down for me God Bless her!!
The last two Christmas' it has come down in January.
I'm actually taking a break right now from the Christmas decorating. My family has always put the (artificial) tree and decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving, and I've just continued with that. My little sister's birthday is January 4th, and when she was little, she wanted the tree left up for her birthday, so our tree has always stayed up until the weekend after her b-day.
Shopping...well, I've thought about it! Does that count??
As for baking, I'm even further behind on that than the shopping. I haven't even started thinking about what I want to do this year! 
We usually put our tree and outside lights up the week after Thanksgiving, and it will stay up until the 7th of Jan.
Shopping, now that's a different story. I've picked up to small things for my nephew, while he wasn't with me. And have a shopping day with my Grandma next Friday. Hopefully I'll get 3/4ths of my shopping done then. What I don't get, well it will probably wait until the week before Christmas.
It is beginning to sound like you folks in the States put your trees up a lot earlier than we do, for the most part. I am surprised that you can put a fresh cut tree up so far in advance though, I must say. Here if you put one up I would say two weeks would be the max and the needles are falling everywhere even with it getting watered regularly. Must be because we have the furnaces on and the heat dries out the trees.
Haha, I left my tree up really late, I think it was at least March last year. Our first year without any children and hubby didn't want me to take it down, so up it stayed, was thinking of turning it into an Easter tree even, haha!
So in Denmark you light the advent wreath, do you also put candles on your trees? I had a friend from Finland who did until she got into trouble with an insurance agent who told her, her fire policy would be null and void if she didn't stop the practice, haha!
Well I have a fair bit of shopping done, my goal is to be done by December 1st, hope to have them wrapped by then too. Starting to bake next week so we can get the baked goods off in the mail.
I have an 11 feet by 12 feet room stacked up to the ceiling with large Rubbermaid containers of indoor Christmas decorations never mind what it still in the basement or garage. Heehee, don't ask!
hugs Squirrelly
Such a busy time of year! We'll have the tree up and the decorations out by the end of next week. I always look forward to putting them up but dread taking it all down again.
Heehee, see, leave it up until Easter!
I had a friend who covered the tree with plastic and just moved it down to the basement decorations, lights and all. Haha, I think she must have glue-gunned the decorations on it. Instant tree!
Hugs Squirrelly
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