Growing up, Thanksgiving meant three things. The first was no school! The second was good food with my family. And the last? The last meant setting up Christmas decorations while my mother watched The Sound of Music followed by our choice of Christmas Vacation. Do you set up holiday decorations over the Thanksgiving weekend in your home?
When I was younger this tradition involved cutting down our own tree, trimming it out and of course decking the rest of the halls in our home. Since I'm one of the only Ohdeedoh writers without children, I think about this old tradition often. Do I carry it on still? Sadly, no. It always seems like a lot of work for just two people to enjoy. Things are for sure more fun with kids around and I know that was the same feeling that always kept my mother untangling yard after yard of shiny garland that I had rolled up so poorly the year before.
What about your family? Do your traditions match those from your childhood or have you started your own? Do you wait until closer to the end of December to decorate or start the festivities early on so you can enjoy them longer? Let us know in the comments below!
(Image: Flickr member AForestFrolic licensed for use by Creative Commons)
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I try not to decorate before turkey day! But I always deocrate. I bought a small real tree for my bedroom after I got a job. Collecting ornaments and Christmas decorations. With or with out kids I decorate for Christmas to make me happy. Even when I was single living in an appt. The place was a winter wonderland :D
We always put things up the weekend after Thanksgiving and take them down New Years Day.
There was never any real rhyme or reason as to when we decorated when I was little, and the same holds true for my own decorating as an adult. I like to put things up early (after T-day) to get the most out of the holiday cheer :-) That said, I'd really like to have the tradition of doing it the weekend after T-day with my family so my kids have that to look forward to. It's a nice weekend to do it since everyone is usually home. The warm and fuzzy feelings of the previous holiday are still lingering!
Im with nellymom. Once we convinced my Mom to let us set up the tree after Thanksgiving dinner and she STILL talks about how painful and early that was for her. Now that im grown I set stuff up the weekend after Thanksgiving.
I usually put out a few festive decorations for Thanksgiving (white lights on the bushes, wreaths, etc) and then do the rest the weekend following. The last few years we've been going to chop down our Christmas tree on Black Friday. It's neat going out to a tree farm instead of shopping, definitely one of my favorite new family traditions!
we start putting decorations up the day after thanksgiving and we take them down either the day after new year's day or the weekend after (depending on vacation time). it was the way we did it when I was growing up and the way I now do it with my own family.