Every day my daughter Hannah asks when we can put the Christmas tree up. She has seen the familiar twinkling shape appearing in our neighbours’ windows, and noticed decorated trees in public spaces almost everywhere we go. The holiday season is here, and she wants to decorate.
When I was a kid, we didn’t put our tree up until a few days before Christmas. We had real, cut trees, and my mother was concerned that if we put it up too early, it would dry out and become a fire hazard. I don’t think the delay was tied only to worries about pine needles falling on the floor, though. Traditionally, trees were not put up until Christmas Eve. The Christmas tree arrived at the last minute for most of its history, and we were just carrying on that tradition.
Christmas past – my family room does not look like this right now.
It seems to me, however, that Christmas trees start popping up earlier every year. We’ve started taking note of occasions like Black Friday in Canada, which has created a new kick-off to the holiday season. Instead of waiting until December is in full swing, Christmas arrives in late November, and sticks around until after New Year’s. Thanks to artificial trees, the decorations can arrive early as well. It’s now common for people to put up their tree a full month or more before Christmas Day, which has led my daughter to ask why I don’t.
I love Christmas, I really do. It’s my most favourite holiday. I love Christmas music and Christmas parties and Christmas cookies and – yes – I love Christmas trees. There’s a magic in Christmas that never fails to reel me in. And yet, I’m resistant to putting up the tree too early. We have an artificial tree now, so there’s really no reason for me to hold off, other than pure obstinacy. And yet, in spite of the fact that I could put the tree up, I remain resolute in my refusal even as my kids plead with me to please, please, pretty please put the tree up today.
This is what Hannah would like to see right now, but this photo is from 2008.
I’ve been asking myself why I’m so set on keeping the tree in its box for now. What is it, exactly, that leads me to dig in my heels? I think that part of it is just pure laziness. I know that eventually I’ll have to clean out the family room and rearrange the furniture and untangle the lights and all of that stuff, but I don’t particularly want to do it today. But an even bigger part is that I don’t want to rush things. I want to spend a little time in preparation and anticipation, rather than rushing headlong into the main event.
With each passing year, time flies by more quickly for me. When I speak to people who are much older than I am, I hear that this only continues. Everything is happening too fast already – I don’t need to rush ahead. I can take my time, and leave the tree in the crawl space until I’m ready. In the meantime, we’ll work our way through the advent calendar and bake cookies and take our time as we amble towards Christmas Day. Eventually, we’ll put up our tree, and before I know it the whole thing will be over and it will be back to real life in 2012. For now, I’ll enjoy the journey, and drag my heels for just a little bit longer.
When do you put up your Christmas tree? Would you agree that trees seem to go up earlier now than they did in decades past? And do you have a real tree, or a fake tree? I’d love to hear!
We put up our outside lights on the weekend after Thanksgiving – this is a regular tradition for us.
But, as for the tree… it usually happens that we wait til we have a free weekend, go out & get a tree, and decorate it & the inside of the house over the next few days, as we have time. I’m really hoping we’ll be able to do this next weekend.
It’s interesting that you posted this because I was just sort of lamenting – in my head, anyway – about how routine & tradition around the holidays played such a big role in my childhood. We KNEW what was going to happen, when, and even what would be on the menu (my mom was a big planner)…. but me, now, with my family….not so much. I LOVE the holidays, seriously, Christmas is my favorite. But I don’t have the tradition & routine part nailed down yet. I want to have enough wherewithal to have an advent calendar box set up ahead of time, the red & green boxes down from the attic on time, know what goes where and when every year… I want my kids to know what to expect, because it’s those memories that, for me, are the strongest & best in my childhood.
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I try to remember that the childhood memories I carry with me mostly happened when I was school age. There’s still time to get there, I think!
I think you’re right Amber.
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My great-grandparents had a lovely tradition — when everyone was at church on Christmas Eve, my great-grandfather and another relative or two would sneak home and get the tree set up so it would be waiting for everyone when they arrived (Look! Santa came!). This may or may not have been the result of his desire to get out of sitting through the service…but a nice tradition nonetheless
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Growing up, our tree did not go up until a week before Christmas or even later. This was mainly because my parents refused to pay more than $10 for a tree (we always got a live one) so the longer they waited, the more likely it was they could get a cheap one. We ended up having mostly Charlie Brown Christmas trees, though one benefit of this was that it was always very easy to hang the ornaments. A couple of years we went out and cut one down. The tree was always kept up until Epiphany, Jan. 6.
I still buy a live tree, though not usually Charlie Brown ones. We try to get it a couple of weeks before Christmas, this year, that will probably be Dec. 10 and we will keep it up until Epiphany.
I do think people put their trees up earlier. I saw a few before Dec. 1.
Growing up, we also put up the tree (a real one) just a few days before Christmas. But on the first Sunday of Advent (which starts 4 Sundays before Christmas … usually the first Sunday of December, but this year it was in November) we woudl take out the box of Advent decorations and begin decorating the house with seasonal wall hangings, Christmas candles, wreaths, Advent calendars, etc. It was the first step in preparing for Christmas (well, for us kids anyway, my Mom had usually alreayd been busy buying and shipping gifts for overseas relatives, crafting, and making Christmas cake).
I too loved the predictability of family Christmas traditions. As an adult, it seems I’m often rushing to try to keep on top of things and get the traditions taken care of for my children. But then, I realised I probably had no idea how many times my mom whipped together a craft for us to do at the last minute when we were driving her nuts and clamouring for something fun to do. I do remember that one of the traditions involved my Mom not finishing sewing our Christmas dresses until after we were in bed on Christmas Eve … I never thoght it was disorganised, just that my Mom had for some reason planned it that way. So I guess there’s hope for me yet!
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Forgot to say, my husband’s tradition is that the tree (Artificial) goes up on the first of December. We do usually put our (also atrificial, due to alleries now) tree up on the first weekend-ish of December.
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Our tree is up and decorated! House lights have been hung. Much earlier than usual, but I LOVE Christmas and so do my kids, so why wait?
This is our first Christmas in our new house by the lake and I am thrilled to be decorating it. Like you, Amber, I don’t put the tree up until a bit later, but this weekend we (my husband doing the grunt labour and me directing) put up the outside Christmas lights. We did warm, gold lights on the forest side where we have the front door, and multi-coloured on the waterside so the neighbours across the lake and the boaters can see us.We put an artificial tree with little white lights on our front porch and have twinkling snowflakes on the water-facing deck…all very tasteful, my dear.
I have unpacked my Christmas boxes as I haven’t seen them for two years. (Last year, while building, we were scrunched in a tiny little apartment above the garage without the boxes, so I bought a few fun things and we had a miniature artificial tree.)
Anyway, what a joy to see all of my old well-loved decorations and wreaths again. (I have four. Ahem.) Where I put everything here will be a new adventure. I must admit I had some lovely traditions in the old house and our children and grand-children loved coming over to see the familiar. I hope they like what I’ve done when they come for Christmas this year. While I’ll add a few new things, I am mindful of how precious the traditions are and am amused by my adult children who insist that I never change things like the turkey sage dressing. My daughter is especially adamant about this. So, of course, I am charmed that these things matter so much.
As to getting up the tree, we’re going out to a local farm to cut one first, then we’ll decorate, probably the weekend of the 16th as we’re having friends over for a caroling party Dec. 18th. This will be a new tradition and I am busy freezing star molds (the kind you buy from Lee Valley) to have big ice candles on the deck with votive candles inside them. Should be so pretty.
To me, the most cherished tradition is trimming the tree while admiring all the hand-made ornaments from my little ones from both generations. Also, my friends have given me ornaments as gifts over the years and I remember each one. I know I will shed a few tears when I put up the one from my dear Tina, who died this year. But I will remember her in my heart and think of all of the Christmas fun we had together.
So, of course, like everyone else, our traditions are tied in with family and friends, decorations, food, singing and having fun. Whatever you do and whenever you do it isn’t as important as doing it with a joyful heart. So,enjoy , my friends, enjoy! And take the time to be good to yourselves, especially all you moms, who usually do most of the work. When in doubt, slow it down and give your family the gift of a calm presence…not always easy, I know. So, good luck with creating what’s important to you.
Honestly, if the tree goes up any later than December 1st in our house it makes me sad! (Hubby won’t let me put it up any earlier-boo!) However, that being said, our almost 1 year old son gets into EVERYTHING, no exaggeration, so we have decided to put the tree up the week before Christmas. Less time to have to be on constant alert, LOL! The other decorations are going up this week though
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Hannah was 10 months old on her first Christmas, and the tree stayed up for all of 72 hours. It was all I could take!
oh, and forgot to add, we have an artificial tree, but might go live next year (we’ve been talking about it)
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Of course trees go up earlier now, with the use of artificial trees we don’t need to worry about them drying out or getting needles all over the floor. We put ours up at the start of December and take it down right at New Years. Of course, we have to have an artificial tree being in a condo. I’m thinking if we had a live tree we might wait a little bit longer…maybe till the middle of the month.
We are fake-tree people, both because our families had fake trees (mine only after my then-two-year-old sister pulled the real tree on her head) and because I have a higher-than-usual fear of house fires. I mean, I can SO see us being the family who forgot to water the tree one day and then had the whole thing go up in flames.
My in-laws come to stay with us the day after Thanksgiving, and we’ve now established a tradition of setting up our tree that day with them. If it weren’t for them, however, I think we too would wait. (Mostly out of laziness.)
On the flipside, I’ve decided to keep a smaller tree set up until I give birth. (I’m due in mid-to-late January.) It’s a pretty tree, and it’s “all mine”–gold ribbon, gold glittery ornaments, yellow lights, “frosted” pine needles, holly berries scattered throughout. And I just like the idea of having something festive in the house while I’m in labor!
How right you are! The first words out of my sons mouth today we’re “I’m not going to school, I’m staying home and putting up the Christmas tree”! I’ve promised we can put it up this weekend, two weeks before the big day is early enough.
Growing up, we usually put up a tree sometime in the “12 Days of Christmas” and I’ve followed this tradition as an adult, except going even later sometimes! With two dogs and a toddler, I try to limit the amount of time that we have to watch everyone like a hawk to make sure they don’t eat ornaments, break ornaments, pull trees on their heads, etc. Also, to me, I feel most festive a few DAYS before Christmas, not a month earlier, when I’m still getting over Thanksgiving. But that’s just me personally.
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I love the festive feeling that the decorations bring so I have no issue with having the tree up early. However, this is the first Christmas with two cats who are barely a year old…and I am dreading what might happen.
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