Why not make things less stressful? We always put up a real tree. But every year I have to get my husband to do it early so we can get the most out of it.
I say don't turn the lights on if you are decorating outside until at least the first weekend of December. I don't care to see the Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving weekend.

I pulled out many of my Christmas decorations today, mainly because I know my schedule won't allow for it later. The ladies group that is coming over next week may think I'm nuts, but then again, I think they knew it already! :)

If your tree is artificial I say, "Go for it!" if it will make life easier for you.

Thanks, all. We live on a wooded lot and you can't really see the house from the street, so I don't bother with outside decorations. But I do put the 9' tree in a corner with glass walls on both sides - once most of the leaves are gone, the lights can be seen from the road, which I love.

There is a little old house down the road that has just gotten some new tenants. They had their tree up and lit last weekend! It made me smile, because I figured they were so glad to be in that cute little house that they couldn't wait to put the tree up.

I put lights on my bushes this week (but haven't turned them on). I like to put my tree up after Thanksgiving dinner, but I can't this year because I'm having new windows installed the week after Thanksgiving. So, I'll have to wait to put up the wreaths in the windows until the new windows are installed.

I say put them up when you can. The neighbor across the street has his tree up and lit last weekend (and had a lighted decoration in the window). On the drive home from work today, I saw a house near mine that has a Christmas wreath on their front door. It seems that people are anxious to get the decorations going this year.

I'm envious! I would put mine up this instant but DH wouldn't be amused. My mom will be here for Thanksgiving, so I have to wait until after that since we didn't put the tree up until about a week before Christmas when I was growing up. For me, the earlier the better. It brightens up the most dark and difficult time of year! We'll have it on a timer again this year so the glowing lights will welcome us each morning when we get up. Go for it, Jakabedy!

i wouldn't think twice about putting up your tree!!!

i got alot of my outside lights up this week too!! but, i won't turn them on until after thanksgiving... i really dislike getting so bogged down with decorating on top of everything else that happens in dec, that i'm all for spreading out the decorating to make the holiday season less stressful!!!

Go for it! We ordered a tree from our community pool sale, and it's coming the weekend of Dec 3-4. That's also a crazy busy weekend for me, so I don't know when we will actually put up the decorations.

I put mine up yesterday and decorated it today.

And, I must indorse a product, Light Zapper! It worked miracles on unlit sections of my prelit tree. I bought it this morning at Walgreens.

We aren't hosting T day this year and will be vacationing in early December so I want to get things done. Today was a perfect day, it pored down rain and I decorated and snacked :(

Yes.

Your house, so you should do what works for you.

No Christmas holiday decorations here until a week or so before Christmas. I like to enjoy all the fall decorations and keep Christmas close to the season. Then I am not tired of it by the day after Christmas, and enjoy the pretty soft lights and colorful touches until into January, when it is SO ugly and grey around here.

I'm jealous of everyone who already put up their tree! Thanksgiving and Christmas are just too close together. But even though I am almost desperate to put up the tree this time of year (when it's windy and rainy and cold!), I always wait until after Thanksgiving.

That being said, I worked really hard to have "transitional" decor this year. We closed on our 1920's house in May, so it was a perfect time to rethink what I do decor-wise.

In our bedroom, I have mercury glass year round, and added a silver pumpkin and a leafy mercury glass colored wreath for autumn. After Thanksgiving, I will rotate out the pumpkin, and in will come a small white tree with silver accents.

In the dining room, I just decorated with glittered grape leaves and glittered berries with a few red glittered leaves, nestled in rustic wood or ORB containers. After Thanksgiving, the red and wood will go away, and out will come sparkly gold. Should be a quick transition!

With artificial, why not put it up early?! It's such an effort to put up / take down the decorations that putting them up a month in advance increases the 'payoff' for the effort. I usually put up the majority of mine on Thanksgiving weekend, and take down right after New Years. That way there's a bit more than a full month between the putting up and taking down, I get to enjoy them for long enough for it to be worth the effort, and my back gets a long break between the heavy lifting. ;-) That's the biggest reason I finally got an artificial tree a few years ago, so that the tree could go up the same time as the rest of the decorations. Go for it while it's convenient for you. :-)

Why not! I couldn't do it because our house doesn't have a lot of extra space. We have to move furniture to fit the tree in its place. Usually we put it up 1-2 weeks before Christmas, and by Dec. 26, I'm dying to get rid of it. Not because I'm a scrooge, but because it just takes up too much space! (We have an artificial tree, too, because of DS allergies.) I do, however, put up my non-tree decorations early in December.

I would actually like to this year, but it will be next weekend. We just had floors put in and we have some trim work to do, some paint, a bathroom to put together and a lot of dust to clear before Thanksgiving. Have to go get new rug pads so we can start moving furniture back later today. Progress!

Holy Moly! As one who never puts up her artificial tree until December 15-18, and leaves it up through Twelfth Night (I take it down on January 7th), I can't get my head around this. I'm still loving the fall foliage and autumn decorations. And Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday that is becoming increasingly encroached upon....

But, to each her own.....And I do not judge you.

My 17 y/o DD would love hearing this! She's started the countdown to putting up our trees the weekend of Thanksgiving. I'm not quite ready for it myself, but think that your reasoning makes good sense for you. Go for it!
Lynn

Neighbors across our cul de sac, are getting their outside lighting put up as I write this done by professionals, we put up 4/5 times more and will start as always day after T-day,besides outside we do alot inside, but our main trees stays decorated and covered and in a walkin closet all yr. long.
pic. of the front of our house last yr. many more not seen all around:

I want mine up early so everything can get put away and I can do other things before my son gets home from college. My dad always waited until after my mom's birthday -- Dec 13th, and it was never long enough for me to enjoy the tree and make it worthwhile, but that's even more true since boys are older and life is so much busier. We've never actually gotten the tree up Thanksgiving weekend, but it's my goal this year. One year we couldn't get a weekend free to take it down and started joking about leaving it up and changing the decorations with the seasons instead.

DH walked the dogs last week and said he saw one of our neighbors already had theirs up. That's a bit much, but maybe they had to schedule someone to help (not sure which house -- might have been an older couple) or they might be traveling.

susie, your house looks great- so festive. I'll bet you get a lot of people driving by.

A house I drive past every day decorated their large (25 foot) evergreen outside with lights AND TURNED THEM ON two weeks ago. Another put up their Christmas tree the Monday after Halloween week.

Me? If I can get son and his girlfriend to do it, my tree will be up the day after Thanksgiving. If not, it might not be put up. Bah humbug.

(I don't care for Christmas festivities and commercialization - I ALWAYS, though, attend Christmas Eve services at my church.)

Put the tree up, decorate it sparsely with FALL stuff, then change it up later with Christmas decor. I mean how hard is it to decorate and then undo? Then your house will be "in tune" with the proper holiday theme and you'll be most unique at having a "turkey" tree.

Ha, I may do it to...except I dont have a fake tree, and real trees are not yet out in the normal venues. But I will get it up as early as I can.

I have to put it up and leave it undecorated, until the cats have had their fun and have grown tired of climbing it!!! then after that my decorations are safe. I too leave it up til after January

I say go for it. This is the first year we have an artificial tree (I bought one at Costco online that has the option of colored/or white lights) just so we can put up our tree Thanksgiving weekend. I hate having a tree up after Christmas, so often take it down the 26 or 27, so putting it up early is a good thing for us. I like to have my house clean and ready for the new year without the clutter associated with Christmas.

Susie, your house looks terrific! What type of lights do you have on the wreaths on your front doors?

If I didn't have to hold Thanksgiving dinner at my house, I would be putting up my tree also. I put a lot of effort into decorating my house for Christmas and so I want to enjoy it as long as possible. Oh how I wish Thanksgiving was in October : ).

nlmorejohn, I couldn't agree more. I enjoy fall so much and wish Thanksgiving didn't crowd Christmas.

Answers from me on questions,and a pic. of my big wreaths close up, sorry can't find one lit? the lights are reg mini lights, and candle in center of french horn also lights..dh does the wireing, so that door still opens..

Insane? Yes!

But you know what... it's YOUR house and you get to do what you want to do in it!

Well, I have confirmed that I am indeed, insane. I told DH last night that I wanted to put the tree up tomorrow and he just shook his head. Of course part of his dismay is that he has some dismantled furniture sitting where the tree needs to go, and he has been procrastinating working on it (it's for someone else, it's not ours). The other part of his dismay is getting into the barn attic to get down the decorations. But he'll get over it. I think.

This weekend it is!

I don't see how it would be considered insane? Many people put up their Christmas tree and decorations Thanksgiving weekend. (So starting black Friday is VERY common). You are doing it the week before. That is such a short span of time--I fail to see why anyone would call this "insane". Yes, I realize we are all suppose to buy the party line that decorating for Xmas prior to turkey day is blasphemous, but it is really okay not to fall in step with that.

I had an aunt (no longer with us) who loved her artificial Xmas trees so much that she kept all 3 up year around. I thought she was a little different, but certainly not insane!

It's insane to hold to traditions that don't fit your life.

Gee lisaincalifornia - lighten up a bit.

Even jakabedy understood the lighthearted sentiment... AND said "Well, I have confirmed that I am indeed, insane."

No one is insinuating that commitment into a mental institution is imminent!

I have seven up already inside, six of these stayed up all years because they are decorated to match the rooms and I am so glad they stayed up. I had open heart surgery with five by passes just nine days after my husband had four by passes, I guess we like to do everything together so I am just getting to do a few things. Got released to drive just yesterday so I am already burning the trees so that helps me get in the spirit of Christmas.

LuAnn,
I didn't even read your response--so I was responding not to you, but Jakabedy. I am sorry you took my comment personally. I just meant that she shouldn't worry about it--and just go for it. It sounds like she did.

I am looking forward to decorating early this year as well.