You’ve taken down the fake cobwebs (maybe some real ones, too) and your pumpkins have sunken in and been tossed.
From here, you can either savor the simplicity of your home for November or you are one of the people who are eager to deck the halls with boughs of holly and get the tree in.
Department stores seem to have holiday supplies and sales earlier and earlier, making us wonder if Christmas season will soon just start in July. Still, the majority of families have a few dates they choose to put up their tree, none in months ending in ‘y.’
The long weekend after Thanksgiving is the most popular traditional date stamp for setting the tree, especially for households hosting the big gathering. This allows them to savor the Thanksgiving holiday and mark the end of fall, enjoying that last bit of pumpkin and fall toned decor before all that glitters makes its debut.
There’s no actual law on how you transition holidays of course, but the closest authority would likely be the folks at Southern Living who declare, “We pass no judgment, but here are the times for when to put up your Christmas decorations. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the earliest that you should set up a Christmas tree or put up Christmas-specific decorations.”
One of the most iconic trees out there also follows this tradition/rule. While the Rockafeller Center’s 75-foot tree is brought to location in early to mid-November, the actual lighting won’t take place until the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, letting the parade and festivities take place before the city’s next big spectacle. Of course, they have a bit more decorating to do than the average homeowner.
That said, as newer generations settle into their own homes, they are bending these traditional rules. Many indulge in scandalously early tree set up times that horrify their elderly family members. Social media is peppered with trees up as early as the day after Halloween, with buffalo plaid blankets and fancy drinks in the forefront. While outside of the norm, with less and less daylight at the end of the workday and the hustle and bustle seemingly non-stop, if simply putting up the tree can lessen the stress, why not?
(Another rule breaker would be Disney World — guests who come for Halloween wake up to Christmas decor the very next day!)
Elsewhere in the world, different dates and traditions mark the proper time to put the tree up, and some trickle over to the United States. Roman Catholics and especially Italian families, mark “tree day” as Dec. 8, when they celebrate the public holiday, “Feast of the Immaculate Conception.” With many folks being home already, this became their biggest day for families to set up for the holidays. Meanwhile many European countries wait until Christmas Eve, a tradition many Americans haven’t seen outside of a Hallmark movie.
If your family doesn’t have strict traditions, the most important thing is making it a family or friend affair. Slow down and turn on some Christmas music. Have an easy dinner in the crockpot or oven because it always seems to take longer than planned to get the tree just right!
Have elderly family members? Kick off the season of kindness and giving by stopping in to help lug the ornaments down from the attic or set the tree for them- then check in to help them put it away. Even if a relative cannot care for a live tree, an artificial tree will certainly brighten the season for them.
Take into account your put up and take down dates when selecting whether to go artificial or real. Depending on the specific tree you choose, plan for it to last about 5-6 weeks so map out your time frame accordingly. If you plan to put your tree up early, you may have to go artificial as many tree farms do not open until Thanksgiving weekend, wanting their product to be in tip-top shape throughout the season.
Find yourself conflicted between having your tree up a long time while also wanting a real one? Try getting your fix with sprigs on the mantel or pinecones with touches of ornaments and put your tree up later. It’s much easier to freshen or replace sprigs than a whole tree!
To help your real tree last as long as possible, it is important to start as fresh as possible. If you can, drop by one of our local tree farms and cut one yourself. If you go pre-cut, trim at least a quarter inch off the trunk where the sap has sealed the original cut right before placing it in your tree stand’s water.
You’d be surprised at how much a tree can drink up, so make sure you’ve assigned someone the task of properly watering it. If you do an advent calendar, maybe your routine is to check and water the tree before you unwrap the treat for that day. If you are a morning bustle-arounder, put the watering can next to your coffee maker so you and your tree can have a pick me up.
While many of us love curling up with a lit tree and a lit fireplace, the combination doesn’t necessarily go together. The heat of the fire can really dry out your tree and make it brittle. If you can’t resist, at least place your tree as far from the heat source as possible.
Windows can also add to drying out your tree. It’s fun show off your lit tree to passer-by’s, but if your window is a particularly sunny spot, it can add to drying out your tree. Try a shadier window of your home or close your curtains during the day.
Going on a weekend trip to visit relatives? It’s tempting to leave the lights on for just a few days or so, but for safety, consider unplugging them — you can deck the halls again when you get back.
Fast-forward the weeks of enjoying your tree until it’s time for tree takedown. Yes, there are “rules” to that too!
Some may not even consider it a tradition, more of just how it happens if they’re a little bah-humbug or maybe just a little type A. Chances are, if you are a person with a trash bag collecting the wrapping paper Christmas morning, your tree is getting the heave-ho the day after Christmas! Which, if it puts your mind at ease to clean up the “clutter” to make room for the life-size doll house or trampoline Santa dropped by, so be it.
New Year’s Eve and Day are another popular timestamp. Some cultures believe leaving your tree up into the New Year is bad luck, causing you to carry baggage into the new year. Others just make it a light hearted timestamp, saying “No two Christmas Trees in one year.” And others still just take it down around New Years because it’s around the time when everyone heads back to work and school.
After that weekend, the next popular date for takedown is “Little Christmas.” The 12 days of Christmas are not actually a countdown until Christmas— biblically, they represent the days it took the three kings to get to baby Jesus and mark the end of Epiphany. (In Ireland, this is also the Day of Women’s Christmas, where ladies get a much-deserved girl’s day after all their holiday duties!)
Straggling in after that, is the Rockafeller Center, who leave theirs up a little longer to capture the millions of tourists that flock to the city for the winter sites- they do not remove their tree until Jan. 13.
Feel guilty tossing your tree to the curb? See if any neighbors with alpacas or goats are collecting.
Have a few trees or a backyard you let grow a little rugged? Let your tree lie out there to help little critters stay warm and sheltered. Grinding it up could seem gruesome, but also the chips can be a good way to reuse your tree to nourish other garden projects.
No matter when you put up your tree or when you take it down, enjoy the time spent around it this holiday season.