I think October 1st is the best time to put up fall decorations. I always put up leaf wreaths on my doors and put orange slipcovers on my porch furniture. And always plant pansy's and cabbage plants in containers around mid September.

Since most likely you live up north, I think you could get away with fall decorations by mid September. And then start with the pumpkins and all the scary stuff soon after.

Fall and Halloween decorations have been in the store's for months now.

....Jane

I'm in the NE and usually start around the 2nd week of Sept too. There is usually a slight change in the weather..cooler mornings and nights..and the smell of firewood burning in fireplaces. Stores selling mums.
That's always my sign to break out the Fall things. But then again, I really don't need an excuse, I love this time of year!! I don't do Halloween until the middle of Oct.

That is hilarious Bluekitobsessed! We're from SoCal, moved 3 yrs ago from there, and you're so right!!! I know they're serious business, (had to evacuate from one once) but that was great! LOL!

In answer to the question, July. Went into a store a few days after the 4th and they were already putting out Halloween stuff! aarrrgggg

I think it depends on your weather and where you are. Here in Phoenix, it's hard to think "fall" when it's 100 degrees or even 90. We don't have a fall really. But at my part time job at Dillards Christmas begins like the 1st Sunday of October. We have two seasons at Dillards - summer and Christmas.

October is a good fall month if you live in that climate.

I usually consider it's Fall on the first of October but last year put everything up the middle of September. Was tired of the lighter summer stuff and it felt like Fall. I add the Halloween things a week before the day and pack them away 1 Nov. Don't usually do Christmas til Dec 1 so Fall gets pretty stale by then.

It's feeling like Fall here in the north right now with the rain we're getting (have even had fires in the wood stove) but I think it's too early to decorate. Might put away the summer things and do the leaf pillows and something or other sort of Fall-ish. Have to get into the bins to even remember what I have! I know I bot some leaf plates on sale and haven't used them yet so may put them out.

I usually put my fall stuff up around Oct 1 and the Halloween and the same time. I take down the Halloween a day or two after Halloween and leave the fall decorations up until the Christmas things come out over the Thanksgiving weekend.

I have noticed in Michael's they already have Christmas decorations out and I was at Kirkland's tonight and the same thing. I liked it so much better when they did it right before the season started and not months before.

Last fall{{!gwi}}

When I lived in Florida, and there were only two seasons (Hot and Hotter)...I never would've put up any fall decor before October 1. Now that we've moved to the TN Valley and the nights are getting cooler and the trees are teasing us with color...(and Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Lattes are just 4 days away from being on the menu) I can NOT wait to start decorating. I only wish our FL house would sell so that I could spend money on front porch furniture!

I am going to miss the neighborhood trick-or-treating though...the past few years I've filled a cauldron with dry ice and a bucket of frozen margaritas for friends who stop by on their way through the neighborhood! Now living out in the country I may have to have a party to use the cauldron for Halloween.

I put out Mums the other day and also set out my ceramic pumpkins. I changed out some floral displays to my fall ones, yes, I use fake flowers (nice ndi ones),and when the wall flowers run out, cinnamon pumpkin will go in next.
I put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving too and like to start fall decorating early even though it looks like July outside
If you buy mums in tight bud, they'll last 5-6 weeks.

I thought I was done with all entertaining until Christmas, as I've been having various baby showers and meetings here since spring but dh wants to hold a family reunion late Sept. so I'm back to deep cleaning and decorating/sprucing up again.

I sometimes get in denial that summer is ending, and keep my annuals going bringing in the potted geraniums at night. Usually Mid October I give in and decorate for fall. Of course then the mums are gone so I haul out my fall silks for the porch and dining room.
3D I grew up in Phx where it seemed summer lasted until the monsoons in January!

hey snowflakelover (love the name by the way, i am also a big winter/snow fan!), i think anytime in september is fine to put your fall stuff up, i am putting mine up next week. there was another thread on this topic a few weeks ago and a couple other people said they usually do theirs labor day weekend.

Well, I haven't had a real Fall since 1999 and I am psyched!! I did the Halloween thing while I lived in FL, but felt so bad for DD, slogging around in costume in 80 degree weather. Blech. I am supposed to close on our new house 9/30 and expect to be in a few weeks after that. I just ordered a Fall doormat but that's as far as it may go this year. Tough to tell...

What I am noticing up here is that Fall brings with it the inevitability of Winter. When the weather started to turn, along with the trees, people were talking about Winter. WTH? Fall has always been my favorite season and I don't know from New England Winters. So, maybe I'll be whining too next year.

Today is Labor Day and the stores have mums, so for me, it is time to start soon. DH has the kitchen torn up doing some work, so this house is too dusty to start...but as soon as he is done, the fall stuff will come out.

Well, I put up my leaf wreath (Say that 4 times fast!) some leaf candle holders and that kind of thing over Labor Day weekend. Then Labor Day was HOTT!!! But now it is in the mid fifties (I live in mid Missouri and are being beaten with cold rain) and I am glad I did! I love coming home and seeing the pretty leaf things and smelling my new Febreze Autumn scents Noticeables. That thing is absolutely wonderful. Everyone needs to stop what they are doing and go out and buy one! They are worth more than they cost in my opinion! My sister in law came over on Labor Day and thought the decorations were great and it wasn't too early, plus the smell she said was awesome! Thanks everyone!

Well, if I waited for cooler weather here in Dallas, I would miss Fall and go straight into Thanksgiving, our first real cold front is usually Halloween. I decided a few years ago to operate in my own little world. So about this week, I put out the scarecrow and fall decor on the porch - but the scarecrow is usually holding a paper fan, or this year, a personal electric fan :) Someday I will buy some wild Hawaiian shorts and add to the ensemble... this gives me 3-4 weeks of scarecrow, then 3 weeks of Halloween (scarecrow in skeleton costume) before 3 weeks of Thanksgiving...you get the theme - there has to be three weeks to enjoy, or I won't make the effort....

terry

I was just thinking about this very subject when I got home. I think next week is a good time to get the Mums going.

snowflakelover... what is the febreze noticeable? is that a candle? always looking for ways to insure the house smells fresh, we have two big dogs. and love candles, i use the tart burners, but the scent goes away so fast.

I tend to change seasonal decor with my internal clock. Spring decorations go out when the last of the snow melts, usually mid-April.

Red, white and blue takes over mid-June, including bunting and hanging baskets on the porch.

Last weekend of September is the garlic festival in Saugerties and heralds autumn decorating. We take the grands apple and pumpkin picking for additional props.

Thanksgiving weekend brings Christmas down from the attic and it stays until New Year's weekend. In a tiny house, 6 weeks is all I can tolerate.

Then there's a decorating void till it all begins again in April. Plant catalogs keep me busy Jan to April.

Dianne

Funny that you're thinking of fall. I was thinking yesterday that I want to start putting Christmas up lol

We're finally in the new house, I can put all of my trees up if I want to but it's going to take me a few months.

I typically put my my fall decorations at the beginning of september and then add in the spooky decor at beginning of october, and then I take spooky stuff away and leave "harvest" type decor for november. I just decorated with both at the same time this year. The way i see it, the earlier you put it up, the longer you get to enjoy it!!

September is still high SUMMER for me. I sort of get into autumn by October 1st (gourds, ornamental corn, pumpkin, apple pie, and chimnea fire pit). Halloween, I don't do (the world is scary enough!), but do decorate for Days of the Dead (November 1-2). I HATE chryanthemums (and if there were any around, the deer would eat them anyway). We decorate with magnolia branches in November and December (and the only thing I hate more than chrysanthemums are insipid poinsettias!). The tree goes up in December (anything earlier is an abomination) and has to stay up until January 7th. I guess, to each his own.

Beginning of a month here. Summer is out by Memorial day--I go patriotic stays until August first. August is the ACTUAL back to school month even though September is the "traditional", so put away the red/wht/blue and get out my fall apples. I am anxious for fall decor and change by August. After that I begin in October with monthly changes. The one exception being Lent. I have some lenten things that will trump whatever month it is.

A pet peve is the annuals are all still great...and will be through September, most likely. Mums are in the stores NOW and if I purchased them they will be done and gone by October/Nov when I WANT them to replace my outside plants.

As for Christmas decorating, Christmas season technically begins on Christmas Eve / Day and doesn't end until the epiphany on January 6. A portion, or all of your decorations shoujld be kept up before then. It's ok to decorate after Thanksgiving for Christmas, but that is Advent, and no Christmas season yet.

I never know when to decorate for any holidays so I decided to decorate in October for Halloween and November for fall and thanksgiving I have blow up turkeys and fall leave lights have a lot of fall decorations and in December I decorate for Christmas I love to decorate for every holiday even valentines st patricks you name it I have lights and blow up decorations lol love to make wreaths for the door and the welcome door mats

I started my fall decorating on September 1 as it was Labor Day Weekend.

I think the first day of fall is a great time to BEGIN! I put up mine slowly. This year because I got it early, I put bittersweet around the house. Three nice bouquets -- cost $7 for the bittersweet. Mums and asters are blooming in my garden but I didn't do anything other than plant them eons ago. The fairies did plant some pansies in the garden and next time I'm out I'm going to get a couple of six packs for some plants that are less than stellar now. Here is the bittersweet: