Christmas Tree Tradition

[MerryBlooms]

Just curious.

Our next door neighbor put their tree up Saturday. Ours will go up as always, over Thanksgiving weekend.

23 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	Our tree is up before Thanksgiving.
	3 (13%)
	Our tree is up the Friday after Thanksgiving.
	0 (0%)
	Our tree is up the weekend after Thanksgiving.
	7 (30%)
	Our tree is up Christmas eve.
	0 (0%)
	Other.
	13 (57%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[zipplewrath]

1. 10 days later

Usually the first weekend after the Thanksgiving weekend.

[Fla_Democrat]

2. July (NSFW)

it's a tradition.....


NSFW

[frazzled]

3. We don't have a tree

Believe it or not, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, etc., don't have Christmas trees. I enjoy seeing them, though. And I've always enjoyed when friends have invited us over for a tree-trimming party. I get to enjoy all the sparkle, the cocoa and cookies, but don't have to mess with it at home!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. That's OK. It's based on a pagan tradition anyhow.

The Christmas tree as we know it is a 17th-century German invention, but it derives from an old pagan practice of bringing evergreen branches indoors to decorate in midwinter.

[Snobblevitch]

29. Midwinter? In December?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. December 21 is the winter solstice. In some parts of the world,

like the one I live in, it usually feels like midwinter by then since it's probably been snowing since October. This year has been unusual in that it hasn't snowed. Yet.

[Snobblevitch]

33. I know about the solstice.

I probably live about 25 miles north of you. (My attempt at humor was a swing and a miss.)

The only people I know who like early snow are snowmobile and snowblower dealers. (Well, people who like outdoor winter sports too, which was a passion of my youth, now long gone.)

Retailers wouldove for us to have a six inch snowfall, it spurs Christmas shopping.

[Maeve]

38. Traditionally, yes

In Irish tradition, winter begins November 1 (Samhain "sow-an&quot and ends February 1 when lambs start being born (more or less).
In one of the Dr Who Christmas shows, he says something to the effect that Christmas time is when we pause halfway thru winter and congratulate ourselves on making it so far.

Remember, Midsummer's day is traditionally June 24th (the feast of John the Baptist) and celebrated from ancient times as the solstice in northern Europe.

[Snobblevitch]

49. Winter ends on Feb 1, yeah, right.

Where I live, we usually have two more months of winter.

[KamaAina]

50. Some Jews have Chanukah bushes

[JanMichael]

4. Treevenge. That is my way. look it up. nt

[Nye Bevan]

5. Probably do Dec 12 this year.

I would do it a week earlier but I insist on a real tree and I don't have the confidence that it will survive into New Years if I put it up then.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. We'd always put up our tree the week before Christmas,

usually about the 18th or 19th. I don't get a tree any more, though; I have cats.

[yeoman6987]

30. Always December 18th for us. Dads birthday and we carried the tradition

Same with taking it down January 6th.

[msongs]

7. darn pagans always forcing their religious symbols on us :-) nt

[ladyVet]

54. Aren't we sneaky? Pushing our traditions into other religions, making people say Happy Holidays...

Probably should burn us all.

Oh, wait. That hasn't worked so far.

We always waited until after my oldest son's birthday so he could have separate holidays (he was born a little over a week after his due date, Thanksgiving day). I knew several people with December birthdays who got their special day rolled up into Christmas -- only got presents on Christmas, no cake or party -- and I vowed that would never happen with my boy. It was sad and mean.

I'm planning on doing a small tree (probably borrow my mother's old fiber optic one), putting up a little bit of greenery and stuff inside, maybe a wreath on the door. Most of my own stuff is shoved behind everything else in one outbuilding, from when we converted a small building into a tool shed. I just don't feel capable of unloading everything, putting the other stuff back in, then figuring out what I want and putting the extra stuff back.

I have a few things that didn't get put away last year, and spent the time in boxes in the hallway, and a couple of garlands I got at a thrift store for $1 each. I needed more garlands anyway (my old ones are rusted and falling apart) so I feel it's an investment.

[Person 2713]

8. Festivus pole only Around the 15th

[Freddie]

10. Next Sunday

DH likes to chop one down and the best tree farms are at least an hour away so we make a day of it.
Our cat is a big orange couch potato who could care less about the tree. Since his best kitty pal went to the Bridge a few months ago (and it's weird having only one cat in this house) we'd like to adopt a kitten but only after the Christmas tree is gone.

[yuiyoshida]

11. I live by myself so I never get a tree..

I once had a miniature plastic tree but it was lost...and so I have never replaced it. I have my ways to celebrate, with friends on line with a virtual tree..however..

[snooper2]

43. do you actually virtually drink the eggnog so you can see the level in the glasses get lower?

[yuiyoshida]

47. its kinda there for show but

there are some products where you can eat..for example for Thanksgiving



You can eat

[TexasBushwhacker]

46. Me too

Although I usually get one if those little rosemary trees because I like how the smell.

[LuvNewcastle]

12. Mine goes up somewhere around Dec. 1st

and stays up until Ash Wednesday. It's just a little white ceramic tree with a light bulb on the inside that lights up the little plastic bulbs on the outside. I change out the little plastic bulbs on Jan. 6th and put in purple, green, and gold ones for Mardi Gras.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

13. Fuck that! $100.00 plus for something you are going to throw in the garbage

in a few weeks? We will celibrate the Solstice thank you very much. No tree required.

[TBF]

45. We have artificial now -

due to health reasons. But absolutely love that you celebrate solstice!

[jwirr]

59. Ours is artificial also but because it means not cutting a

tree down and it lasts many years.

[TBF]

60. Excellent -

I wish more people would do it. We bought our first artificial one for $75 on sale - and it lasted 12 years! Somehow we didn't seal the box properly and bugs got in so we got a new one a couple years ago. Hoping it also lasts many years.

[LiberalElite]

14. I haven't had a tree since

I adopted a cat. Lights on balcony, "Happy Holidays" in the window, wreath on door - but no tree.

[Blue_In_AK]

15. We usually put ours up around December 15,

but may not at all this year since all the kids have moved down to the Lower 48 and my husband and I don't plan to exchange gifts. What's a Christmas tree with no presents under it?

[LWolf]

16. I don't have a tree anymore.

When I did, I used to get a live tree that was recommended for my area. It would stay outside until xmas eve, when we'd gather to decorate it. It was in the house for 2 days, xmas eve and xmas day, and then we'd take it back out and plant it. Too much time inside would stress the tree, so two days was our limit.

These days, living alone, I've passed all the xmas stuff on to my grown son, and I show up at his house to decorate the tree.

[Snobblevitch]

31. A live tree?

You mean, like, in a big pot?

[LWolf]

37. Of course, lol.

I don't plant the dead trees.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. We don't, we are jewish

but if we did, the birds would treat it as a jungle gym.

[Glassunion]

56. What? No Hanukkah bush?

[nadinbrzezinski]

58. again those two would go FUUUUNNNNNN

we're good, throw a waffle.

Fun fact, that bush is a nice invention from oh marketing gurus in New York City... and for the most part it is not working, (And mine would have to be up by now. Hanukkah this year falls early)

[Glassunion]

61. Just buy a fake Christmas Tree and bend the crap out of it...

My wife and I enjoy many new and old traditions when it comes to the season...

I come from both African and Irish ancestry, while she comes from French and Pennsylvania Dutch (German) ancestries. I was raised a little Catholic and Baptist, and she was raised in a Fellowship church. So of course our holiday decorations would not be complete without a Menorah or a Hanukkah Bush.

In our old apartment we had a fireplace. That would be the centerpiece of the Hanukkah decorations. We always try to color coordinate our Christmas Stockings with the dark blue and white Hanukkah decorations.

[nadinbrzezinski]

63. Ugg, those beaks would not do good with plastic

it would have to be a real tree, and I would have to make sure the sap is NOT toxic to the parrots. Better yet, get them a jungle gym. I am sure you would be shocked at how strong (and delicate) the beak of a small parrot can be.

If we ever get one though, I will have to tell them, it came at your insistence.

We will do latkes though. Our yearly traditional treat, with apple sauce. I have to make them at home, not pre made as tempting at it may be... since I have to make sure it has zero gluten. Most recipes include regular flour as a binder, and that includes the frozen ones you can find at times. I just hate the work that goes into making the suckers. And yes, once they cool down, the birds do chow down on a piece each.

(They are spoiled I know)

[shanti]

18. haven't had a tree in years

since my youngest was in elementary school, and he's now 25. i just don't give a shite about xmas

[truegrit44]

55. Same as above.......

Kids all gone and just the two of us, too much trouble and bahh humbug to xmas.

[Tree-Hugger]

19. Some point in early December

We don't have a set date for decor or the tree. I wait until after Thanksgiving for decorating. The tree usually goes up at some point in early December.

[Shandris]

20. Thanksgiving night. n/t

[femmocrat]

21. We put ours up about a week or so before Christmas.

I couldn't stand having it up for a month! It comes down on New Years's Day. I leave some of the wreaths and other decorations up until Orthodox Christmas though.

[Art_from_Ark]

22. We used to wait until winter vacation had started

and then we'd grab one of the trees that the local school had tossed out. Then after the Christmas season was over, the Corps of Engineers would collect old trees and put them in the local lake to serve as fish habitat.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. We're surrounded by hundreds of fir trees.

It seems kind of silly to bring one in the house. So, we don't.

[NJCher]

24. I put a tree up on my monitor as wallpaper

No dried pine needles on my floor. I did that once and said never again. I was still sweeping them up in July.


Cher

[Whiskeytide]

25. I have ALREADY put up BOTH of ...

... our trees. That's right. We have TWO. Both artificial since Ms Tide and one spawn have allergies.

One is a Christmas tree. We won't trim it until after Thanksgiving, but I went ahead and put it up Sat when I had time. It has to be down before Jan 1st since it is bad luck to have two Christmas trees in one year.

The OTHER is - for now - an Alabama tree (Roll Tide). It is (or soon will be) decorated with Crimson Tide Ornaments - and, yes, you'd be surprised at how many we have. After the bowl games, it is converted to a Mardi Gras tree and stays up until Ash Wed. Since it is technically NOT a Christmas tree, it doesn't violate the "two tree" bad luck rule.

Took me a few years to learn Ms Tide's rules on all this - but now I'm a professional tree wrangler.

[Purveyor]

26. December 11th, my mothers birthday has been the tradition around here. eom

[KT2000]

27. I decorate the beam in the ceiling

the lights are still there from last year so this year it will be a cinch.
Too many cats for an indoor tree. Neighbor gave me a fake tree but the cats would like that too.

[bigwillq]

28. After Thanksgiving

Usually up by the end of Thanksgiving weekend.

[BlueJazz]

34. I put the aluminum pole up about 2 weeks before Christmas. Then I think about how...

...disappointed I am.

[cwydro]

35. Frequently, this procrastinator doesn't get the tree up till a week before Christmas.

But I aim for the week after Thanksgiving and I WILL do that this year!

[Reter]

36. Last night

Always before Thanksgiving, or it's too late.

[Maeve]

39. Second Sunday of Advent

A compromise between my kids and my husband (they wanted it earlier, he didn't want it at all) and when we used a cut tree, it was still okay by the time it hit the curb the Monday after New Years (trash day).

[ProfessorGAC]

40. Sometime between TG and CE

When i feel like getting around to it, or sooner if my wife gets irritated.

[FSogol]

41. Sometime in the first 8 days of December. n/t

[CTyankee]

42. when my Jewish son in law goes out to get a fresh cut tree...

he used to protest but now it is such a fixture (my daughter will not give up Christmas!) that my granddaughters would hound him to death -- they want their tree! Nowadays I spend xmas with them...

It's not really religious, it's just that he grew up never having that experience but since it is not really religious in their family (and my granddaughters have been raised Jewish...had their bat mitzvahs etc) it hasn't ruffled any feathers...

[ileus]

44. Meant to put them up this past weekend.

But now it's looking like the day before thanksgiving for both of them.

Hate getting in the attic for the trees and all the containers of decorations...

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

48. 1 to 2 weeks prior to Christmas

If I were to put it up right after Thanksgiving my youngest child would be asking about Christmas every single day for a month. My tree is always a fake tree.

[erpowers]

51. Other

In the past our Christmas tree went up the day after Thanksgiving. In recent years the tree has gone up either on Christmas Eve or just a few days before Christmas Eve. The last few years have been hectic. This year I am hoping to have the Christmas tree up weeks before Christmas/Christmas Eve. I hope it will be up a few days after Thanksgiving. I had hoped to go back to the tradition of putting it up the day after Thanksgiving, but I am not sure that will happen. Now I hope it will be up the Saturday after Thanksgiving, or a week after Thanksgiving.

[randr]

52. Our many dear ornaments given to us over the years

Are now hung on a welded steel "tree" and we plant one new tree each year.

[Shrike47]

53. About the 18th, and it comes down on New Year's Day.

We also celebrate the Solstice more than anything but I love Christmas trees so I get one.

[Glassunion]

57. We do it on Thanksgiving.

Normally, when everyone has eaten their fill and heads home my wife and I put up the fake tree.

This year we are skipping out on Thanksgiving all together and heading out for dinner. We are hitting up a Brazilian Steak House this year.

[Le Taz Hot]

62. No tree.

No one to really decorate for. Big mess to set up, big mess to break down. I'd rather spend my time doing other things.