Our decorations , put up in early november. We decorate tree about a week before christmas.

How wonderful to read this international discussion and learn about different customs!

And is'nt it wonderful, who ever we are, where ever we are we all seem to enjoy celebrating the season with lights, decorations, trees, friends and family.

I usually start around the first of December and end before Dec 25, taking time to arrange several winter wonderlands of baby animals rather than villages. The grown children and grandchildren love them. We take them down after Jan 6. All three children are born during the holidays, so we make them a little extra special... Dec. 16, 25 and Jan 6. For the Christmas birthday, we celebrate gift opening in the morning, dinner early, then celebrate the birthday in the evening with all the fun desserts. Sometimes they like to all celebrate their birthdays together on Christmas because we are all in one place. Wonderful time of year...

I start early in December. I usually put up the family tree first then finish decorating. I put a tree I the dining room, decorate the piano, fireplace and just about any other place I can find.

I start to get the Yuletide itch mid-Nov but wait until the beginning if December. I want to enjoy the season but want it down and away pretty soon after the main event :)

My sons birthday is December 6th, I wait until after that to decorate for Christmas. I do put out Snowmen and other winter decorations,but wait until after the 6th for Christmas.

The traditional time to take down Decorations is on or after twelfth night (5th or 6th 0f Jan - opinions vary) and that is what I always go by. The week or so from Christmas day onwards is a special time for our family. My husband takes that week off work and we combine visiting/welcoming friends & family with just chilling out at home, cosy and warm, watching family movies, eating and drinking good food/wine etc, and enjoying our gifts. It's what we look forward to most. That's why we don't put our Decs up too early (mid December) because we'd be sick of them by then. So many people today seem to take their cue from retailers. They put them up as soon as they see them in the mall, spend the next 4 or 5 weeks in a crazy shopping frenzy, put ridiculous pressure on themselves to have one perfect day and then it's all over. It's such a shame that at the end of all that effort they don't get to spend a few days just enjoying the holiday. Though I'm mentally planning from early November, waiting a few more weeks just makes it more exciting for me

I have a tree decorating "nibble and drink" party for my birthday, December 14. I let the company bring the cake!

I always decorate the day after Thanksgiving. Hubby usually gets the outside lights up earlier to take advantage of better weather, but he doesn't turn them on until after Thanksgiving dinner. However since we moved this year (after 20 years in our last house), I plan to start early because I'm not sure where to put stuff.

I wait until a week or two before Christmas because I like to keep the decorations up for a week after Christmas and I don't want to grow weary of the decorations.

Yeah, Thanksgiving in Canada serves us well in October! My American friends envy the time to enjoy one holiday gathering (especially when turkey is served!) By mid November, I'm inspired having sorted through the Christmas stuff. Fixing, replacing, and/or donating allows me to bring on the season in spurts...little touch here...little touch there. Once I'm in the stores I know exactly what I really need; impulse shopping is a budget breaker! My main thoughts are focused on entertaining and meals (and I'm looking forward to more turkey ;-))

Christmas starts at the front door...the fall wreath starts to look out of place once the snow starts falling!

I am so opposed to the holidays and the craziness they bring...I try to decorate with one thing only: a wine glass on an outbound airplane. Anything more is too stressful.

I'm ready the second week in November! However, I don't turn any lights on until Thanksgiving night! That night I also blare the Christmas music!!!

I'm Jewish so our decorating a bit different. I usually get things ready for Thanksgiving the week of, Hanukkah is generally done a few days before.

It varies each year. I try to do the week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There has been years the bottom of the tree has not been decorated baby and dog proof. The year we moved out for the flood and lived in a rental we had a bare minimum tree.

As soon as the turkey is gone, the tree comes out! Not really, but it sounded good.

We decorate the outside first putting the lights on the house. The inside gets it's decorations out little by little with the tree being put up last since it's the most work.

I love to get started early ! I decorated lots n love it ! I begin outside the door wreaths on my windows fully bowed ! I don't like lighting outside just glitz!Then work in sunroom then living room thanksgiving it looks so beautiful.chandeliers are dressed as well

CONGRATULATIONS to @bluenan for winning her very own pair of Houzz slippers! If you missed out on this one, not to worry, you still have a chance in our Holiday Prep Poll to get your comments in!
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/poll-holiday-prep-checklist-dsvw-vd~723377

Put up the Nativity today, but without other Christmasy decor until Thanksgiving is over.

Gathering Room first. I have a tree in nearly every room - various sizes of pencil trees.

Traditionally we would wait until after our daughter's BD, December 2. Since she's been living out of country we decorate after Thanksgiving starting with the tree.

OLD THREAD it's August now!!!!!

Don't decorate...discouraged that Houzz does not seem to listen to comments from subscribers. In response to this same poll last year, I mentioned that not all of us are from the US, and that, for us, Thanksgiving may have little meaning, or be held at different times of year. Rather than taking this comment into consideration, it was ignored and the same poll posted again this year. You have an international audience.

When do you start to decorate for your birthday?

I find that Christmas holidays go by so fast, I just don"t want it to end! So for me, the sooner I decorate the better and I take them off as late as possible! it's just so uplifting and cheerful!! I start in the living room of course, and then move to the dining room, kitchen. I don't do much decoration in the bedrooms, maybe some x-mas candles and white snowflake stickers on the windows. The result is lovely and very festive!

Holy cow! Somebody's getting an early start!

Loniluna. Check the date. This is the same poll that offended you last year. Houzz polls are not that serious. If you have a different holiday that you decorate for I am sure the Houzz staff would be happy to hear about it in the context of the poll. People here go off thread all the time.

Goodness! Just because somebody bumps an old thread doesn't mean they are trying to offend *you* personally!

Sometimes I think people actively look for reasons to take offense.

This site started in the U.S. and if you don't like a thread, by all means pass it by......we will not have a few dictate the content of Houzz, get over it......again!

There is a Houzz Uk now as well

Hmm, our preparation for Australia Day involves heating up the barbie, making the salads and pricking the snags. January 26 th.

My god chook you people are savages! Why would you do that to Barbie?

LOL.

We have a Ken do attitude.

We put our our Christmas decorations on the first Sunday morning in December. Then in the afternoon we wrap all our gifts.

My decorations have become much more minimalist over the years, less Santa explosion and more simple symbolism.

My holidays aren't festive, but I do put white lights on my bushes and my menorah in the window at the appropriate time. I change my linens and accessories with the seasons also.

Hold it, hold it for just a minute, I still have some Christmas decorations sitting on the basement floor waiting to be put away. Some day I'm going to get organized.

I always enjoy putting up the Christmas card holder in anticipation of all the great photo cards of family and friends. We also love to get our tree set up ( something about the fresh tree smell says holidays ).

One of our major department stores has Christmas decorations up already.

I let my wife do it, usually after Thanksgiving.

I do most of the decorating in the living room I have some Fall/Thanksgiving decor I love, so I wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas.

Living in Chicago Metro Area, I try to get outside Christmas lights, lots of them, up in October when "Indian Summer" makes this easy and pleasant to do. Lights are not turned on and obvious Christmas decorations (big wreath, for example) are not put up until Thanksgiving weekend or the next week. Displaying Christmas Villages are major projects that start in September. Tree and its lights go up week before Thanksgiving. but ornaments are put on after Thanksgiving.

I would have things up the minute Halloween is over, but the rest oh the family makes me wait until after Thanksgiving. :(

- Janis, GKB

I am a last minute type of personal. Then I leave my decorations up for a month after.
-Angeline, GKB

I depends on the decoration: the wreath and the candles have to be on the table before the first advent, same as the advent calender that has to be hung on the wall by December 1st. The final touch usually gets done on Christmas eve, such as the pyramid, and the rest of the decoration.

There's no Thanksgiving in Mexico either...tree came out November 1st and I took a week to decorate it...then couldn't wait for the garland on the fireplace so that came out as well as my husband got into the spirit and before Thanksgiving the lights were up inside and out. As you can see in this picture Thanksgiving night, I was feeling quite cozy and in the spirit. I hung the stockings, set out the Nativity, the rest of the Christmas toys, decorated the kitchen and bathrooms 2 days after Thanksgiving. I love Christmas and we celebrate it big...will wait until after the New Year to pack it up and bring it out again next November 1st. :) (p.s. We celebrated our first Christmas in July this year 2014. didn't put everything out but we did have the tree, some homemade summer Christmas decor, lights in the house, selective Christmas tunes and lots of presents!) Thought we'd try the Aussie way since it was our rainy/cloudy season ;0)

I like putting them up early.