LOL at your graphic, Karen!
I'm with ya on what you are saying ...it takes me a week also & I start after Tksgvg...but I leave alot of it up for the Winter until March ...so I try to limit my Santa/reindeer kind of stuff...I do lots of 'snowmen' ...but the Christmas tree must come down & it's usually time to claim back the living room! ;-)

Lots of work! Yes, but lots of enjoyment!!! I do so much more after you & Luvs sent me over to check out this Forum...& I love seeing everyone's pics & sharing.

That's about it...just ENJOY! I love Fall & Fall colors! So they're around til near the end of Nov! Jeanne S.

This is one of those things I go with "it's a personal choice" and I feel the same as you do about it taking so long to put up and then it's enjoyed for so little time BUT I just cannot phantom putting up my tree before Tday,it just doesn't seem "right".
I'm not against starting on projects and lighting however, been known to do that in Sept or so to be honest just so I'm not pressed for time later and have just this week been working on wreaths and candle holders + the flowers for FILs grave in this years color scheme because I KNOW I won't have the time later.
As it goes though, 90% of the stores are already decorated or getting going on it with no reguard to Thanksgiving so I suppose someone doing it at home isn't that far of a stretch either.

Meant to add this to my post and forgot.
My ex posted this on my facebook the other day and it seems so very appropriate for this conversation. LOL

{{gwi:1455344}}

HA Karen...I'm laughing over 'You found this forum and Lost Your Mind'! I'm with you there..I always had lots of Christmas decorations (DM taught me that)...but since discovering this site..have acquired 'Tons' more!
What should be fun...does become stressfyk trying to 'fit it all in'. It seems that doing it all a month before is not enough time to enjoy it because it flys by so quickly.. Thanksgiving gets a 'Thrid Class' treatment.
This year, I'm faced with the delema of having Thanksgiving here, and a week later...a Family Christmas Reunion party!
I'm already stressing thinking that I should skip the Thanksgiving decoractions and get right to Christmas
so it's done for the party...Then I'm feeling guilty and sad that I'm neglecting Thanksgiving!
I'm with you on owning a Duplex! lol
Then again, if we were as rich as JPMorgan was, we could have a 'Christmas Room' where it's left decorated for Christmas all year! After New Years...just cover it all up and close the door till next! Ahhh to have the luxury of opening the door after Thanksgiving... do a little 'tweaking' and enjoy!!

jane

Oh, don't get me started on stores and their ideas.
LOL. Plus they took all the fun out of after-Christmas sales, nothing much left by then as its already gone on sale. And I don't want to hear ANY Christmas music till after Thanksgiving!

I never really decorated for holidays other than Christmas till I came here, so it didn't matter...till now. I want to enjoy each holiday and not feel rushed to change things.
Tho of course it's only "me" who'd be rushing myself. LOL.

I don't even have a clue WHAT I'm doing this year for Christmas. One day I'm all 'up' thinking of ways to decorate, and then the next I don't want to do any at all!
But if I don't, then it'll be ANOTHER year before I see my stuff again. :o( Maybe I'll compromise and just do SOME this year instead of dragging it ALL out. (Mr O could care less as you know.)
Aside from losing my Dad, my oldest son (48) retired from Phoenix Police Dept in Aug and immediately moved to Cody, WY. His two kids, in their 20s, plan to go there for Christmas. I thought he was coming here to spend it, and now find out that, for the first time, all three of them won't be here! LOTS of changes this year and honestly I'm letting myself get a bit down over it.
(I don't do change well. LOL)
We'll still have the big Christmas Eve get-together at my DD's house, and Jason's two best friends and their spouses 'n kids always join us. Tons of food and opening gifts. But with 4 of my family members NOT there, and this being my first Christmas without Dad, I'm honestly just not looking forward to it. Plus there will be a total of NINE kids, only 4 ours. Do you know what a house of 9 youngsters the night before Christmas SOUNDS like?? LOL.
Dad loved that kind of stuff, but I have never liked a lot of noise. Especially LOUD noise. (Heaven help me!) I told Alissa I may hide out back with the their two big dogs this year. LOL. (when I mentioned maybe staying home, she didn't take that too well. Jason wouldn't either I'm sure.) Anyway, I just wish this year would get over, tho I
know that sounds selfish.

Jeanne, your Santa couple do look like they wouldn't want to miss Thanksgiving. :o) That graphic was on FB and I knew right away I needed to have it!

hugs, Karen

I'm with you ladies! It's a bit unnerving to go into a store in September and see all of the Christmas decorations! And I haven't even seen any good sales on Fall/Thanksgiving stuff this year. Last year, I bought my Thanksgiving chargers (like yours Karen) right before Thanksgiving. I adhere to the Christmas decorating tradition of putting it up the weekend after Thanksgiving and taking it down on New Year's Day. My DH and DD usually whine about taking it down, but that has more to do with the fact that they don't want to help take things down. But, I take my time and change from year to year as to how much goes up...it depends on how I'm feeling...then by the end of December, I'm kinda tired of it all and having to clean around them, etc. I go back to work right after New Year's, so I like to have my house back to normal before then. Heck, I just got my Thanksgiving stuff up a week or so ago......

I hear you loud and clear!!
I like to put Christmas up after Thanksgiving, but since my Christmas decor has somehow(???LOL???) gotten a bit over the top, I decided this year that I am going to start putting up Christmas decor upstairs this year. I really don't have Thanksgiving decor upstairs, so that will alleviate some of the time involved for Christmas decorating. I have always put up the outside decor before Thanksgiving, except for the front porch. I climb all over the roof putting it up and don't want to be doing that when it is cold and/or snowy, so I put it up on a nice weekend the middle of Nov. and test it, but don't turn the lights on until Thanksgiving night. Since the front porch still has Thanksgiving decor, it is kind of schizophrenic, but it works for me. LOL

I also have to put all the Thanksgiving decor away that night, and then I am grumbling about how much fall/Thanksgiving "stuff" I have and need to put away!! Some people are never happy!!LOL
Especially after I saw all of Karen's cool Turkey stuff and was thinking maybe I should get some more??? What?? Me nuts?? A little crazy maybe, LOL.

So...this year the upstairs is getting Christmas gradually starting already, and the downstairs will get Christmas after Thanksgiving.

I also am not in any hurry to take it down and usually don't even start until Jan. 6.

Karen, I feel for you with your mixed emotions, but just do what you feel like is right at the time and if it isn't what you have done before, that's OK. I don't handle change very well either and totally understand how you are feeling.

My oldest daughter and her 3 kids (my 3 oldest grandkids)may not be coming to Thanksgiving this year and I am not one bit happy about it!

Like Jeanne said, I'm just going to enjoy each day as it comes.

Little Dylan is now 2 1/2 mon. and almost 10 lbs!! I'm lovin it. Did I mention that I bought a Baby's First Christmas stocking on 90 % clearance last Jan. and the only one they had was PINK!! We didn't know then, but I guess in the Master's plan, he knew I needed a pink one!

TTFN,
Candy

Candy, thank you so much for sharing my feelings of not liking change and understanding my mixed emotions. I'm sorry your oldest DD and her 3 children might not come for Thanksgiving, that is a real bummer. The last two years, my DD and her daughters (and her DH) have gone camping with friends over Thanksgiving weekend. And it was so hard not having them with the rest of the family as we'd ALWAYS had. Now oldest son will be gone too, tho I think his kids will be here. My DDIL has taken over from my DD on the dinner and she does a great job. But I liked when the whole family was together and never wanted to see that change. But guess things just happen whether you want them to or not.

Such a cute story about finding Dylan that pink stocking!
How sweet and perfect. I better see a picture of her with it too! LOL. Tho she might be sleeping on it.

You decorating the outside in good weather makes a LOT of sense. And going ahead and doing Christmas in parts of your house is also a smart idea I think. I was thinking I should get out all the greenery that goes in the living-room and get it up. That and my Village is really all I can do "early". I just refuse to give up my Turkey stuff.
Speaking of which, sounds like YOU need some turkeys too.
LOL

Jane, I think you're right. Never mind the Duplex idea, we need a mansion! We could do a room for every holiday and never have to pack/unpack it all. Plus we'd have tons of storage for all the new stuff we find.

Marlene, going back to work right after New Year's, its easy to see why you'd like the house back to "normal". My DD is the same way about that. Last year tho, I got interested in the idea of having Winter decor up after seeing some of the gals photos of theirs. One of the main things I hated about packing away the Christmas decor was how "empty" and dull my house looked afterwards. Having left the garland out and other wintery things thru Jan changed that for me tho.
Right now I just want to start the New Year off on the right (decorating) foot, and get out of this funk I've been in alll of this year!

hugs, Karen

have enjoyed reading all the mixed feelings about when and how to decorate - makes me feel like I am not alone and in pretty good company. I have always been a 'heavy' holiday decorator but since finding this forum and now that debil 'Pinterest' I am really in 'overdrive'. I have always felt that I needed two houses - one to live and function in as a 'normal' human and one to let my creative, decorating frenzy personality loose. Christmas is starting to sneak in 'before' Thanksgiving but as a general rule Friday is my take down fall day and get it packed away and Saturday is full speed ahead into Christmas decorating. Mine will stay up through the better part of January then my thoughts drift outside as our growing/gardening season starts waking up.

On a side note - I would much rather have this problem than what others deal with on a daily basis - on this day let me say GOD BLESS OUR MILITARY, VETERANS and all who serve .....

Lynne

I haven't read the replies yet, but will after I post my thoughts.

You all know I don't decorate for Fall, including Thanksgiving. It's because I find those colors to be extremely ugly and boring ONLY inside the house. Outside they're stunning!

We love Thanksgiving, but TG is the official first day of the holiday season in my family. I used to wait until Dec. 15th to put up my tree, now it's sometimes after TG.

Everything turns brown right now and is so dull, why carry it into the house?

Right now I've put up my winter tablecloths. They will match with Christmas decorating but can also hold their own as a winter decor. It's a sneaky way to begin. lol.

Christmas is the long holiday, if we're lucky, the joy of Christmas stays with us until New Years.

SO MUCH THOUGHT goes into decorating, if I waited until December to decide what I want to do this year I'd be frazzled half the month and not enjoy myself.

This year's decorating won't be as over the top as last year, but I still want it cheerful and elegant at the same time.

I already have my Christmas Card station set up! I wish others than myself sent out old-fashioned cards instead of just pictures, but that's another topic! lol

Like they say, 'the reason for the season,' so I LOVE to use nativity decor ...& I put them out as soon as Tksgvg is over (if I bin isn't buried too deep among the other bins!) LOL!

My nativity sets each have special memories ... & so I enjoy them until Jan. & then Santa & his reindeer get put away, too. Like this nativity scene that I made in 'ceramics' back in the mid-70's after our son was also born:

Sorry, oakley, that you don't enjoy the Fall colors...I do bring them indoors & enjoy Fall so much! But I know you love Christmas! So enjoy! Jeanne S.

Fun read. In a world where you can be anything you want. Be Yourself!

Those turkey pictures are so cute. Enjoyed seeing both of yours too, Jeanne.

Punk

" In a world where you can be anything you want. Be Yourself! "...Punk I really love that and have saved it with my other quotes and such.

Lynne, I definitely like the idea of having TWO houses.
Probably better than a mansion, LOL. What fun it would be to have a "Holiday House" along with a normal one.

Oak, I have a feeling if you hang around here long enough,
you'll come around on the Fall decor and colors. LOL. I was so much like you in not liking browns and oranges, just never cared for those colors when I love deep jewel tones.
But the more photos of fall decorating I saw, the more it appealed to me. And once I started decorating with those colors, I fell in love with them more each year. (I still can't wear them, and wouldn't use them in regular decorating, but I definitely think they are wonderful now
to bring in COLOR as our long (LONG) hot (HOT) summer winds down. We get no pretty outside autumn to enjoy here in Phoenix, so its been great for me to have it inside now!
And thanks to the gang here, the main lesson I've learned is
"Never say never". LOL.

hugs, Karen

Karen, I never decorated for fall until coming to this forum either. Now it is such a pleasure (I love the colors!) that I want it to last as long as possible.

We will start setting up Christmas as soon as we are done with Thanksgiving. I host the Thanksgiving celebration so I wouldn't feel right about having the tree and mangers, etc. out at that time. But hubby and I will be going to Mexico for a month just a few days after Christmas. For that reason will save the "take it down or leave it" question until after Christmas. We started using an artifical tree about 5 years ago so getting an old dried up tree out of the house is not a factor anymore.

My mom decided not to do a tree anymore after she was widowed. I was afraid she wasn't celebrating at all but she assured me she'd keep her manger front and center and have a few decorations. Now she also uses a small fiber-optic tree which is easy for her to set up and store.

Karen, I'm sorry your family won't be coming for the holidays. Make the most of the celebration at DD's and pick what you want to do at home. Just remember the reason for the season!

Karen, at my age I doubt I go with the Fall colors. I think it's because we have a lot of the colors on the acre already. My house is kind of rustic on the inside so I welcome the cheery Christmas colors.

One reason is I don't want to take Fall decor down, put it away, then get out Christmas. I'm lazy!

Today when I was at Walmart I needed some red and green ornaments for a green basket I have on the dining room table. When I came home I just dumped the ornaments in it! lol. Baby steps until a week from this Friday. :)

Oak, baby steps sounds good to me. LOL. As for your age,
wait till you are mine and see how you feel about Fall colors inside and "laziness". ;o) Who knows, with these Enablers here, what you might do someday!

Neesie, thank you. You're so sweet. A month in Mexico...WOW. Tho that doesn't give you much time to enjoy your decorations and the hard work of doing them.
Bummer. Your Mom sounds like she knows what works for her, and I bet her little tree and manger make her happy.
I've sworn when someday I can't do my decorating like I love, then my stacked plates and cloches will be my primary fun things to do.

I can't get over how so many bloggers have their Christmas decor started or done already. Just amazes me. I'm really enjoying my fall 'n turkeys, and can't believe that Thanksgiving is only TEN days away!

hugs, Karen

jeannespines Good to hear from another Nativity lover!! I have many full sets and 99% of my other decorations are Nativity based. I have a set in every room of my house, yes even the bathroom has a rubber set my kids played with when taking baths, years ago. I begin the week end after Thanksgiving and it all remains until Epiphany.

Okay so this weekend I broke down and put up some outdoor decs. The weather was so nice and who knows what the next weekends will bring! I only put up ones we can see in the back yard: hung large ornaments from a huge pine tree and some smaller ones on a nice birch at the corner of the garage. I'm saving my big reveal of the 4 foot ornament I made. I'm still painting it and then it will go out in the front yard hanging from a large branch on my huge tree there. We did install the hanging mechanism yesterday on that tree since the weather was so nice. Happy Decorating!

I really don't decorate that much for Tgiving. I always wait till after to decorate for Cmas. Tgiving is a beautiful holiday, I wish it came in Oct. like Canada, it would allow us to enjoy turkey day and still have plenty of time to get ready for Cmas.
Karen, most people around here don't take down the Cmas decos till Jan. 6 th, Little Cmas. New Year's Day was always a big family day, lots of entertaining, so no way did the decos come down.