PF Weekly Grab a brew #44: When should you put the Christmas decorations up?
HOLD BACK THE URGE TO DECORATE
If you are wondering when you should put the Christmas lights up there really is no specified date to put up Christmas decorations.
We often get asked when is the best time for putting up the Christmas tree and to be honest, it’s up to you. But, should you wait? Wait for what?
Now that Halloween has come and gone many people are packing away the scary decor and looking for bells and garland.
I know that we store all of our Christmas decor including our fake Christmas tree in the basement. If there is no snow on the ground we just don’t get that festive push though.
Remembrance Day
Not everyone is rushing out this morning to see if they can be frugal and find half price Halloween candy that they can stash away for the year.
Some people are dusting off the Christmas decor and talking about what they want to do and where the decorations should go for the upcoming holiday season.
I was scrolling through my Facebook page this morning and already I noticed a photo saying not to put your Christmas decorations up until after November 11, 2013 which is Remembrance Day.
The date November 11 is known as Remembrance Day or Poppy Day or Armistice Day.
This day is recognized every year as a memorial day celebrated by our commonwealth countries to remember those that fought and died for us in the line of duty while serving in the armed forces since the end of World War I.
Putting up Christmas decorations
My understanding is that is out of respect for those that we recognize on Remembrance Day we should hold off on Christmas decorations until after November 11 and when we give those couple of minutes of silence to the brave fallen men and women.
I can appreciate that and by all means I do wait to put up our outside decorations until after that date.
I do admit that I leave the Christmas lights on the house all year-long only because the roof is so large and has many peaks that it seemed like the easier thing to do.
The lights are all white and you can hardly see them as I have them pointing down and behind. I’m sure people have walked by and pointed and said look at them but oh well, I’m not taking them down. I’m not the only one who thinks this way as there are many houses we’ve seen who keep them up all year.
At the end of season sales last year we picked up a massive lighted wreath which I will wait to hang over the garage as well as put out some Christmas ornaments to jazz up the front of the house to create the love we have for the Christmas season.
I know that some of the houses around us have their Christmas lights up already and they are ready to rock and roll as soon as Halloween is done and that’s fine too.
We can’t control what everyone does or feels even though taking a moment to hold back turning the lights on and decorating seems like the proper thing to do.
I’m not one of those neighbors who will speak their mind and say that someone has done something wrong because essentially they have not. There is no law that I am aware of stating we can’t put our Christmas lights up until after Remembrance Day unless I’m missing something.
So for now we will take a break after Halloween and leave the Christmas decorations at home in storage while enjoying the Fall leaves as they continue to fall to the ground and turn colours.
When do you start putting up your Christmas decorations?
Top recipe
Every day Food Bloggers from around the world pass by my other love the Free Recipe Depot Facebook page to share a daily recipe which I share with my fans.
This weeks Top Recipe comes from a blog called Feeding Darragh who shared this lovely Tortilla Chip Crusted Salmon recipe which I thought sounded pretty delicious.
Have you ever used tortillas to crust any meat or fish?
Weekly reads
Every week I share a few of the best personal finance blog posts that I read over the past week with all of you.
- I’m single, Life Insurance isn’t necessary then right?– Modest Money
- How the younger generation changed e-commerce for everyone– Debt Round Up
- How to build a credit score– Money Bulldog
- 6 Top Driving Money Saving Apps– One Smart Dollar
- How to get out of debt– Money Smart Guides
- How to exercise your brain– Prairie Eco-Thrifter
- How much life insurance do you need?– Retire Happy
- How to make it as a Freelancer– DINKS Finance
- The real cost of car ownership– Plunged in Debt
Well, that’s a wrap for this Friday’s grab a brew #44 so happy saving and I’ll see you here again next week when I do it all over again.
Mr. CBB
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After working retail in college, I firmly believe in after Thanksgiving before decorating–one holiday at a time!
Our neighborhood typically decorates the outside of the houses the weekend after Thanksgiving. We then usually decorate the inside a week or so later with the tree, etc.
We usually wait to get our Christmas decorations out until the first or second week of December. Here in the southeast U.S. temperatures are still moderate then so working outdoors to hang up lights is usually not a problem.
Same here we try to wait but since we don’t have kids we don’t do much decorating as we head out for the holidays.
I only put up the decorations after Thanksgiving. We usually wait until after my wife’s sister’s birthday in the beginning of December. I don’t do it any earlier.
Thanks for mentioning my article Mr. CBB! I hope you have a great weekend.
I think waiting until December is a great time although the stores waste no time at all.
I will put up the lights outside soon. I only put a couple of strings around the front windows so it’s not really a big deal. We have the town Christmas parade coming up in a couple of weeks so I will plug the lights in that night and then not again until Dec.1. I have a timer for the lights so once that is set up the lights will be on 7-11 pm at night until Jan 1. I start hauling things out of upstairs Dec 1 as well. I also have a bin of Christmas books from back in the day that the kids would eagerly wait for. Now we have the grandson to read stories to. I don’t leave our lights up all year but I have found that those that do are like you and have a big roofline and/or a very high roofline. I can see the point there with leaving them up. Those that complain are unlikely to have been the ones up on a ladder on a cold windy day trying to hang the darn things in December!! We get a real tree every year so some stuff will be put out early in December and the rest after the tree is in place. I’ll be watching the sales, I still want to get some LED lights in the cool white if I can. As the old replaceable style are slowly eliminated it will be harder to get the replacement lights for them. I do like the colours of the LEDs, so nice and bright!,
That salmon looks good!! Might have to show it to hubby, he likes his salmon!!! I’ll be checking out some of those blogs you posted to read….. Have a good weekend to you and the Mrs!!!
I think putting up the lights early is ok but waiting to turn them on until after Remembrance Day may be the proper way to go. I just keep mine up all year like I mentioned in the post. We use the timer as well like you. I look forward to the holidays every year and am excited to see what new articles and recipes we can come up with here at CBB.
I only put my decorations for Christmas up about Dec 16. I understand that some people are very committed to their religions or to celebrating that season of festivities and gift giving but I really don’t want to rush in to that season too soon – much, I’m sure, to the chagrin of the stores who want all my money.
Also, as a person who has worn that green uniform a time or two – I don’t put up any other decorations until after my poppy wreath on the front lawn has come down. Really, it’s only a matter of 11 days or as one of the videos on Youtube says “It’s only a pittance of time.”
Hi Margaret
Like i mentioned to another reader we don’t have kids so we don’t rush to decorate indoors as much but we do put a tree up so we can get in the festive mood ourselves. It sort of seems lonely when you don’t have kids to run around and laugh about.
I haven’t decorated in years… mostly because we like to go away somewhere warm for the holiday season. When I did decorate, the outdoor lights went on for the first time on Dec 1st and the house interior was decorated the first weekend in December.
We go away as well and like I mentioned above since we don’t have kids decorating inside never really is a priority but we do put the tree up.