If you’re anything like me, you love holidays! Give me any holiday and I make the most of it with decorating, preparing festive dishes, planning family gatherings and celebrating all the things. Now that Halloween is all wrapped up and we are done with the goblins, ghosts and ghouls and up with, you guessed it—Christmas!
I grew up in a household where Christmas was a two month celebration. In early November, my mom was in her element slugging box after box from storage of handcrafted stockings for the bannisters, lavish delicate ornaments for the sitting room tree, homemade wooden toys and floral arrangements for the kids’ tree, and Santa with his team of reindeer, elves and more to adorn every surface possible. We had no less than three Christmas trees. It was (and still is) truly a magical place when my mom says “Hey Google, turn on the Christmas lights!”.
Recently, I had a woman mention to me that Christmas shouldn’t make an appearance until after Remembrance Day. Another said it’s traditional to wait until Advent (which by the way, I learned was the fourth Sunday before Christmas). Apparently, for those who observe the more religious aspects of the holiday, Advent symbolizes the beginning of the spiritual year and preparation for second coming of Christ. This year that date falls on Sunday, November 27, 2022. My sister-in-law who is an American won’t touch a Christmas decoration until after American Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
The idea behind waiting until after November 11th, formally known as Armistice Day, is to honour the troops for their sacrifices. Some say it’s disrespectful to hop from Halloween to Christmas without paying our dues to our
veterans in between.
While this remains a hot topic, even the vets who were asked are split on the thought. Some say, they fought for personal freedoms, so decorate when you want! Others say they like folks to wait to honour those who’ve served.
One stated that Christmas is like a little vacation from reality. Your home becomes a magical place full of joy. The decorations and music bring about happiness in a time where the winter starts to harshen, the days start to shorten, and moods can fall with the temperature. Why not evoke joy where possible?
I personally believe that it is up to you if and when you’d decorate for the Holidays. I’m part of the camp that votes for as much peace, love and joy as possible.
I also like to get my outdoor Christmas lights up on those bonus days like last Sunday where temperatures reached an unseasonably high of Twenty-four degrees. Nothing like hanging up the lights in flip-flops!
Getting your tree trimmed early allows for more time to enjoy your decorations—especially if you spend hours or days carefully curating and collecting the perfect pieces for display, why not maximize their shelf life?
I also like the idea of forgoing the December rush. I love the idea that by the time we are ready to open that first day on the advent calendar or the elves coming for their first visit, all of the decorations are in place and ready to enjoy.
As a real estate agent I’m always looking at houses. It’s an added bonus at night driving though all the different neighbourhoods lit up with twinkling lights. Santa Claus is coming, to town!
So before I wrap this blog up and catch my first Hallmark Holiday movie of the season with a gingerbread latte, I want to hear from you. When do you decorate?
- November 1st—Christmas enthusiast
- After November 11th—show some respect
- Advent of course—a true traditionalist
- December—that’s when the season begins
Comment below or better yet, share a photo of your tree or home looking festive. Happy holiday kick-off from all of us here.
