I received my first Christmas card yesterday, from Canadian friends now living and working in the States. I’m always shocked to get a card so early in December. I’m no grinch, but I don’t even think about things like Christmas cards until the middle of the month. Don’t get me wrong—our Christmas lights have been up for two weeks (but that was My Liege’s doing), and we’ll probably flag our tree at the local Christmas tree farm this weekend (but that’s because, if you don’t flag it early, they won’t have any left and we’d have to trudge into the bush and cut our own, which doesn’t seem right when they plant and sell them just down the road). Eldest Son is coming home on the 14th, so if we flag the tree this weekend, the day he gets home is the day we’ll go cut the tree. I know he’s looking forward to the experience, as it’s one of our family traditions.
That said, if he weren’t coming home from university, would I have my tree up before the middle of the month? Um, nope, not me. As a kid, if my mom didn’t have presents under the tree at least 10 days before Christmas, I’d panic. However, until a year or maybe two ago, since we’ve had kids I haven’t put ANY presents under our own tree until Christmas Eve. Eldest Son cured us of putting presents under the tree early before he was one, because of course he tried to open them. And it always seemed more magical to me to put the presents under the tree once the kids were asleep, then see their faces light up Christmas morning.
A friend of mine in the States puts up her tree Thanksgiving weekend. Is this a common occurrence? Thanksgiving decorations (if you decorate) come down, and Christmas ones go up? Who here is willing to raise their hands and admit they are holiday crazy? What are your family traditions that you look forward to every year? Getting the tree? Trimming it? (I’m actually not crazy about trimming it, but this year I remembered to buy new lights!!) (I marked it on my calendar last January so I wouldn’t forget).
Anyone name their tree? That’s our family tradition. I named the first Christmas tree that My Liege and I had before we were married (it was actually a big plant). I think its name was Mulligan. Don’t ask me why. That year, the year before we were married and were living in sin, I also bought a year-dated ornament, candy canes shaped into “1984.” So then of course the next year, I bought a “first Christmas together” ornament dated 1985. Every year since then I buy one new dated ornament. These things aren’t always easy to find, so some years I wind up buying a regular ornament and writing on the year myself. I’m especially partial to dated ornaments that allow you to insert a picture. I love seeing pictures of all my pets, past and present, and pictures of the kids when they were babies, then teenagers, etc., hanging all over my tree.
Your tree sounds lovely with all the pictures. I got my first card yesterday. I need to send cards out soon. My husband put up the tree Thanksgiving weekend. We can do it early now that we have a fake tree. When we had a real one, we waited to keep it from drying out too soon. I’m guessing yours is real.
Oh, yeah, our tree is real. With a Christmas tree farm within walking distance (although we drive there to pick up the tree), we have to support a neighborhood business, right? We live in a residential area, but it switches to acreage a few blocks over, and that’s where the Christmas tree farm is. He grows them up the foothill, you cut it yourself, they give you hot chocolate, etc. It’s a great time.
I always put my tree up Thanksgiving weekend, too. (It’s fake.) I do it early because it doesn’t seem worth the trouble of dragging out all the decor if I’m going to turn around and take it down two weeks later, lol. Plus, it makes the house feel cozy and festive.
I wish I could put gifts under the tree early, but I have a 2-year-old who would tear them to bits…and Santa can’t come until Christmas Eve night, anyway. 🙂
Two fake trees? Does anyone have a live tree? Okay, I know I live in the Live Tree Capital of the World. The only fake tree I’ve ever seen is my M-I-L’s. I imagine they make them pretty good now, and, yes, you don’t have to worry about them drying out and house fires and keeping them watered, and taking them to the chipping pile.
Cozy and festive? We have a wood fireplace in our basement, so we have cozy covered. As for festive, that’s what eggnog is for. 😉
We have a live tree out on our deck and a fake one inside, that we bring out on Christmas Eve, then hide from the cats. With our other cats, we could have a live tree and decorations with no problem, but these two – especially the little one- are just too nuts and try to eat EVERYTHING, from the fake needles on the fake tree to the decorations etc. I’m pretty sure they’d try to eat the real needles too – no way I’m taking that risk 🙂
We have decorations from all our years together – including some cute wooden ones we bought for our first Christmas. We’ll probably get our tree over the next couple of weekends and put the decorations/lights on it outside our living room window (living room leads to a deck).
Your tree sounds wonderful 🙂 At my mum’s house, she still has all the old decorations – we used to trim the tree together while singing Christmas carols, then turn off all the lights in the house and sit in the light of the tree.
Thanks, Teresa. Yours sounds wonderful, too. Your stories of your cats made me remember the Christmas I was 5 or 6. Our cat knocked over the tree in the middle of the night!
I’ve had a kitten eat tinsel before. NOT fun. 🙂
We’ll probably get our tree tomorrow. We ALWAYS get a real one, the only exception being the year we lived in a third-floor walkup. Before the first weekend in December is DEFINITELY too early. I haven’t done any shopping until today, and I only bought for two people. I don’t do cards until the week before Christmas. I like a longish season, but not THAT long! 🙂
When the season’s over, we just bring our tree to the curb, the township picks them up for chipping.
What, curbside pickup for chipping, Natalie? Not fair!
We walked to the Christmas tree farm and chose our tree this morning. We’ll pick it up next Sunday and trim it then. Only one week until Eldest Son returns for the holidays. Then it’ll really feel like Christmas.
So glad to hear you get a live tree.
I’m like Avery. I usually put up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Well, due to the mess getting our son home for Christmas, we didn’t get our tree yesterday, as planned, but hopefully we’re getting it today. We’ve had it picked out at the Christmas tree farm for a week.