@bestcee Your poor mom! I have a feeling I'd feel the same way! I think December is about the only month a family member doesn't have a birthday, I wouldn't know what to do LOL! I wonder if I could gather enough self control to wait until Black Friday, since we too stay home that day?!!? @cookingmylife LOL!! If I could have a Halloween tree I totally would, but hubby would NOT be amused LOL! I'm sorry you and your hubby won't have much time together...that makes me sad I grew my Halloween collection this year by a tub..whoops! I'd have a hard time purging Christmas...Santa, snowmen, reindeer and gingerbread men put huge ear to ear grins on my face LOL! @GlazeFamily3 I love real trees! They smell so good and just look so much better! Mother Nature has skipped fall again, so I figure, why not in the house too ROFL! I totally kid! @HavaDrPepper I can only imagine how you feel, especially after losing your mom the day after Christmas...I'm so sorry. I'll definitely check Pinterest. I like the idea of setting up a scene with doll house items; knowing me, I wouldn't have the heart to put them away and leave them year round. @cfile That kit is so cute! I did a quick Google search, and I don't remember any of this from history class! @Jan Awww! Your dad sounds amazing, so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine losing both of my parents within months of each other. I wish hubby would humor me and let me leave the tree up year round...but that's not going to happen! I could sit and look at the lights all night...getting lost in thoughts. @rdjrneace Oh boy! Puppies, trees, ornaments, lights and presents could definitely get interesting!! Are you able to put your tree in a corner and maybe corner if off with a baby gate? An old co-worker had to do that one Christmas when everything else they tried failed. Or maybe a small table top tree instead?
I am so much like Jenn @jk703! I'm still in denial that summer is over, even though it's in the 40's today haha. That being said, mine will probably go up the weekend after Thanksgiving, only because of the extra time off work. I get tired of them really quickly and like my house back to normal. Everything comes down the day after Christmas. When we did a real tree, it didn't go up until a couple of weeks before Christmas. But you do you, girl! Whatever makes you happy!!
The Christmas before we had our daughter, my cat decided that his favorite place to sleep was IN our Christmas tree. Needless to say, the cat pretty much killed that artificial tree because I could not keep him out and the tree could not handle it. The year after, we had to rehome our cat because he was violent towards our baby girl when he thought we weren’t watching, so we went with a real tree and have had one ever since.
My daughter's birthday is Christmas Day and she LOVES Christmas (yes, she gets double presents). She just asked me if we could put up the Christmas decorations tomorrow. I said after Thanksgiving, but I may give in to sooner. She was playing a jazzy/blues album of Christmas carols and I was sort of getting in the spirit. I do want to put up the icicle lights before it gets too cold out. We have yet to have a hard frost. We still have colored leaves on the trees.
@IntenseMagic It was 83 today!! 8.3. I'll send you some warm weather if you could please send me some sweater weather!! So over the heat! I always get sad when the decorations have to come down LOL! @GlazeFamily3 ugh...cats can be jerks!! Our cat Dexter has a really bad habit of going after our youngest! She'll run by him in the hallway or wherever and he'll jump after her and scratch her! I sure do miss real trees...minus the falling needles LOL @BevG Please cave so I'm not the only early bird LOL!! I love the icicle lights, they're so pretty!! Our trees are still GREEN like it's summer/spring! Over. it. @AliSarah I wish I had the strength to wait LOL!! Hubby would appreciate it for sure!
Normally they go up in the first week of December but we are away for most of December this year so will only be minimal this year. Have a cone light up tree that we will put out and some lights, maybe a small table decoration. We already have fairy lights everywhere. I couldn't put decorations up before December, even seeing christmas decorations in the shops before then seems wrong...
I like the idea of Christmas, but have much the same mixed feelings as others in this thread. It is hot this side of the ocean and my blood pressure plummets so I have less energy anyway, besides that our daughter died on Christmas Eve 23 years ago, so Christmas carols make me pensive. I enjoy the tree decoration (DD @18 feels it's her job now) and the baking that all us gals do. This year we are cruising again and I am really looking forward to that, celebrating Christmas in Hong Kong with family (our niece and grand nieces) Sending hugs to all that need it. Can't resist Christmas kits and goodies though so thankful The Lilypad has the DYD sale.
Sometimes, like today, I wish there was a hug button next to the like button. @Eyeore and @HavaDrPepper I just want to wrap you up in virtual hugs. The cruise sounds fun Stefanie!
We usually wait until the weekend following Thanksgiving to put up decorations, but I believe we will be doing it next week/next weekend because we will be going away for Thanksgiving and then it's busy/busy/busy after that so it's better to have it done ahead of time. I think. LOL We just might wait until we get back. We've all lost special people in our lives, and it does hurt so much more around the holidays. Sending ((HUGS)) and love to you all.
@KarenW Ohhh!! I would love to see your cone tree! Fairy lights are so pretty...swoon!! My mom feels the same seeing Christmas up so soon! @Eyeore This breaks me heart, I'm so very sorry for your loss...I can't even imagine **hugs** A cruise to Hong Kong sounds amazing!! Do you get to wander off the ship to see everything? This...so much this! Need a hug button and a dislike button! @gonewiththewind Doooooo it!! I don't want to be the only early bird here LOL!! **hugs**
@bbymks5 It's 14 nights on board with a few days in Singapore before and then a few days in Hong Kong afterwards so I am sure there will be so much sight seeing done. It is going to be super! Thanks for the hugs too, appreciate it.
@BevG YAS!!! Look at you getting into it!! I only have one gift purchased so far...a Fingerling for Sonnet LOL! @Eyeore Ooooo!! That sounds amazing!! I can't wait to see all of your photos!! You'll have a ton for MOC to use! Amazing photos and lot to use for MOC....DOUBLE SCORE!!
@bbymks5- We were shopping for our Operation Christmas Child boxes. DD wanted special wrapping paper for her birthday gifts from us and some more for her Christmas gifts to her friends. Target have Christmas wrapping with sharks on it - and sloths on another. Who puts sloths and sharks on Christmas paper?
Sloth and shark Christmas wrapping paper....now that I have to see!! Are they wearing Santa hats LOL?!!? I must say, there are so many pretty wrapping papers out there anymore I could buy one of each...but I go for the brown kraft or the white craft and pretty bows.
We don't celebrate Halloween, so waiting for that to end has never been a consideration for us. People decorate for it and start celebrating as early as September though, so I figure if Halloween can have two months lead-up, Christmas, which is an entire "season," and not just a one-day event, can have more than 25 days of decorations. That said, we don't start decorating till after Thanksgiving (except outside lights, so they're ready to go as soon as Thanksgiving's over), but DO listen to Christmas music starting in November. As a Christian, I especially like listening to songs like Joy to the World, What Child is This, and other Christmas "hymns" more than just one month of the year, as they celebrate Jesus and our salvation - something that shouldn't just be relegated to Christmas time!
Love what you have said, Rebekah! I totally agree with you. Thank you!! I sometimes get my Christmas music going at other times during the year and when I do in July I tell everyone it's music to help keep us cool when it's 110 degrees out there. But seriously, what better music can you listen to if you want a reminder about what our lives are all about? What really matters? We should keep Christmas in our hearts all year. Not just during December.
