Anonymous wrote:Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving.

+1 I like this b/c then I am not rushing. The tree can sit for awhile without décor and then we can do it at our leisure. When Jan comes, it is fine to take it down without feeling it was too short.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been known to put my tree up Dec 21 and take it down January 15th.

That seems like the traditional way.

Why is it traditional to take it down January 15? I understand waiting until after Epiphany, but January 15th is over a week after Epiphany.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who are putting up the tree in November, are you using a real or fake tree? I would be afraid that the pine leaves would fall by the end of Dec.

OP here: I always use a fake tree.

Was always fake growing up because of allergies in the family. In my own home its real and goes up Thanksgiving weekend to New Year's. Haven't had any issues with tree dying in last 8 years or so, but I do water everyday or every other day and put an aspirin in once in a while.

Up on Friday after Thanksgiving. Down usually on January 1-2 or the weekend after if I am lazy.

Anonymous wrote:I have been known to put my tree up Dec 21 and take it down January 15th.

That seems like the traditional way.

I have been known to put my tree up Dec 21 and take it down January 15th.

Anonymous wrote:We begin decorating the Sunday after thanksgiving (wreaths, lights, Christmas dishes). The tree usually goes up the following weekend and stays up through New Years.

Same.

My grandmother has hers already up when we go over for Thanksgiving dinner. We put ours up the weekend before Christmas.

Anonymous wrote:Here's my problem. I object to putting up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving because it seems too early -- I'm not psychologically ready yet. But then it's back to work and the end of the year insanity with school activities, concerts, etc and before you know it I've waited too long and it's like a week before Christmas until we get the darn tree up! There must be a way around this, I tell myself. It happens every year.

I usually put my tree up either the weekend after (9 days after) Thanksgiving or the second weekend after. For me, Christmas season does not start until the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend. And I take it down the weekend after Epiphany.

For your problem, why don't you mark it on your calendar that the weekend two weeks after Thanksgiving (16 days) is the weekend to set up the Christmas tree. Make sure that even if there are other events that weekend that you set aside a couple of hours either Saturday or Sunday to set up the tree. Put it on the calendar before the start of the school year, so as the school events pile up, you still reserve time to do this. Getting that out of the way earlier will help reduce the stress of the holiday season rather than waiting until the week before Christmas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are pretty old fashioned. We put up the tree the weekend before Thanksgiving and take it down around Epiphany. We like to celebrate for the 12 days of Christmas. We leave our outside lights up till the Baptism of Jesus.

I come from a Waspy old New England family on 1 side and a Waspy Southern Episcopalian side on the other. I am not religious, but I feel like trees really should only be up for the 12 days of Christmas. This is what my parents did and do.

I agree with you. I had corrected my post- I had accidentally written the weekend before Thanksgiving when I meant Christmas. We get as close to Christmas as we can to out the tree up and we always have a real tree.

Here's my problem. I object to putting up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving because it seems too early -- I'm not psychologically ready yet. But then it's back to work and the end of the year insanity with school activities, concerts, etc and before you know it I've waited too long and it's like a week before Christmas until we get the darn tree up! There must be a way around this, I tell myself. It happens every year.

Decorations/lights go up Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, tree the weekend after unless Thanksgiving is early. It comes down the day, or day after, we get back from skiing, usually January 1 or 2.

First weekend in December

Weekend before Christmas, stays up until Epiphany. Other decorations will go up on the weekend after thanksgiving. We use a real tree.

Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving.