Over the past week or so my social streams have been filled with proud folks showing off their beautiful Christmas trees. 
It’s flippin’ November!
It’s not even the first day of Advent!
(…or the first Sunday of Advent!)
Why should I care though? It’s their life, their house, their traditions.
True!
Yet it is these same people who want to get rid of all signs of Christmas on Boxing Day already.
They then fill my social streams with how bored they are of Christmas, just as Christmas really is beginning.
Remember that song called 12 days of Christmas? That, yes!
Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and lasts till the 6th of January, the day of the Three Kings.
It’s bad enough that shops are putting up Christmas messages and decorations, playing Christmas music earlier and earlier. They have a motive: sell more! However, their commercial motives needn’t creep into our homes too.
Afterall, what message do we teach our children by doggedly following the retailers?
Our society is increasingly one that seeks instant gratification. There is no such things as saving up for things. We reach for credit if we want a new sofa, car or whatever. So it seems we are doing with Christmas. We don’t want wait till the end of December; we want it now!
Surely, one of the most magical things about Christmas is the Christmas tree and the decorated house; The soul tingling planning and anticipation that goes with it. I love how decorations slowly fill the house, first an advent wreath, then advent calendars, more and more candles, the smell of gingerbread baking, a gingerbread house, crafting with the children to make more decorations for the house and the tree; this what late November and December are about.
Finally, right before the big day, the tree goes up and the house comes alive, just as winter has delivered it’s darkest days. There is real joy in that wait and preparation!
The rhythm of life in the run up to Christmas is usually extremely hectic: Christmas parties at work, with friends, at school, nativity plays, secret santas, visiting Santa’s grotto; Not to mention the stress of trying to find the right present for everyone at the right budget.
The pressure on having a perfect Christmas is already huge. We all want that fairytale Christmas romantic films portray, right?
A time of perfect families with the perfect Christmas dinner in a perfect house with the perfect presents under the perfect Christmas tree.
If all our trees and decorations were up for a month already, they have lost their novelty and magical spark. I dare say we are bored of them. Our pressure for perfect shifts to people and presents. Christmas day becomes all about who got what present and people (not always in the right way).
In this whole process we lose the real message of Christmas: Love! A Christmas tree is about celebrating love (the love God showed us by sending his son, Jesus). Lovingly decorating it with ornaments with memories, lighting up our house, putting a shining star or angel to crown the tree. A star or angel to show us the way, to draw us to sit by the tree, breathe, reflect and celebrate.
Instead, we choose to put up a Christmas tree up early and inevitably associate it with the hectic run up to the Christmas holidays. It becomes a symbol of chaos, tiredness and mad running around.
Imagine we only put it up just a couple of days early, maybe even as late as on the day of Christmas Eve:
Christmas sparkles more, our heart still skips a beat when we sees the beautiful tree standing. (You, know the same way it does now, in November if we have it up.)
Imagine having some fun (and frustration) filled days of Christmas. Then slowing down for the Christmas break.
Imagine we have all time to marvel at our tree together, as it twinkles and shimmers, no school runs, work commitments or social engagements. We sit around the tree playing games, watching films cuddled up together as a family.
Now, that is what my Christmas is about: it’s about those crazy days before Christmas and then the slow relaxed days spent soaking in the Christmas spirit in the lead up to New Year’s Eve. I love stealing the sweets and cookies hung on the tree! I love coming down in the Christmas holidays in the mornings, switching on the lights and knowing no one has anywhere to rush- school or work. We sip hot chocolate, play with games and head out when we are ready, if we are ever ready that day.
So I ask why would anyone deprive themselves of the anticipation and the joy of enjoying a Christmas tree when life is calmer and you can appreciate the magic more?
Would love to hear your views.
…Afterall, you wouldn’t wear your wedding dress just for a casual walk to the beach before your wedding day, would you?
I like to put my tree up early, but it’s always in December. Mainly so we can do it as a family and enjoy the day and decorating. We usually write our letters that day too. Our weekends are so busy in December, I like to find a day we can do this early on. Plus with the birthdays and an extra event over the Christmas period this year it is always a manic, but wonderful time of the year. It doesn’t suit everyone, but we have our reasons and this is our tradition x
Thank you Susan. Do you also take it down early or do you leave it up for a while?
I am so with you on this and you have explained it better than I ever could.
I love putting up our Christmas tree, but not until the middle of December and then it comes down again after New Year. I love the decorations and what they mean but by the end of the two weeks and I am ready to see them go
I usually put my tree up on the first weekend in December – it comes down on the 6th January – I LOVE my Christmas tree, which is why this year, it’s going up even earlier. I do get where you are coming from though – Christmas adverts, displays, etc in October is overkill. I mean, we hadn’t even had Halloween yet, but Christmas seemed to be everywhere. Now it’s in the full thick of it, and I try and ignore where I can, because too much of the holiday in your face, does mean it becomes boring. I haven’t started Christmas shopping yet, or planning what we’re going to be doing – that’ll come in December, but my tree, it’s going up! I think the important thing is, we do what makes us feel happy at this time of year x
Thanks Michelle, I love that you prolong the Christmas feeling by putting it up early. It’s when people have it up & then can’t wait to take it down when the holidays are actually here.
I love the build up to Christmas, and for us it starts in December. A whole 24 days of preparation and anticipation, and that’s well enough. I like keeping my tree up until 12th Night, but by then I’m really ready to pack away. We have a few neighbours with trees and decorations up already, each to their own.
Each to their own as long as they don’t keep going on and on about how bored they are of their tree. 😉
We like to have ours up early because it’s one of the first things we do in advent. It makes the house feel Christmassy. Putting it up later would be more stressful for us I think as I always seem to be doing last minute shopping then. That said I know in Europe it’s common to have it up very late and keep it up for longer whereas here Christmas pretty much ends on Boxing Day.
Erica, I have to disagree that Christmas here ends on Boxing Day- that has only crept in over the past years as the Boxing Day commercial craze has become bigger and bigger… again a commercial pressure people bow to.
as much as i adore christmas our christmas starts on the 1st December and we can’t wait … our tree will go up the first weekend after the 1st 🙂
Will you be taking it down before the New Year Jamie?
I work in retail and we have christmassy stuff as early as september with carols playing in Nov.By the time christmas comes I am sick of them.
Gosh, I feel for you Nayna! I get fed up even with the little shopping I do.
My Mum and Dad never put the tree up until after my birthday so the 21st December and then took it down on 12 night. I used to do the same until I had children and now I put it up on the 1st December. It comes now in between christmas and new year and we put up other decorations for New year, I figure that I am not hurting everyone and I love having all of December to make, bake and have fun
I completely hear you!
Christmas is starting earlier and earlier and getting more commercialised every year. It’s not like you can really avoid it either because it really is everywhere – TV, Shops, Online – everywhere.
I’m all for planning for Christmas in advance but not the rest of it 😉
I’m with you – we wait until December. We put our Christmas tree up usually around a week to 10 days before Christmas, and take it down on January 6th.
Personally I’d put our tree up this weekend (last one in November) if I could convince Dave it’s a good idea! And keep it up right until the beginning of Feb. My winter needs as much sparkle as possible so that I can survive it intact!
Yep, I’m with you. My oldest’s birthday is on the 9th December so we always wait until after that to put our tree up. It doesn’t feel nearly Christmasy enough to me to put it up before then.
I put my tree up yesterday, I love it. the kids are excited and it feels lovely and cosy, it will come down the first week of Jan 🙂