Is it too early for holiday decorating? After all, Starbucks broke out its red Christmas cups today. And Macy's decked its aisles before Halloween.
Traditionally, my family waits until after Thanksgiving to pull the advent calendar, stockings, and candy cane-striped candles out of the attic. But are we being hopelessly old-fashioned? Should we follow the retailers' example?
No. "Take it one holiday at a time," says my 13-year-old daughter. "It kind of spoils Christmas if you make it a quarter of the year. It doesn't seem special."
My 15-year-old agrees that November is too soon for holly and wreathes. "I think of Thanksgiving as a fall holiday," says my 15-year-old daughter. "I like to have a fall theme at Thanksgiving."
My husband takes the harshest line. "I would support federal legislation that would make it a felony to decorate for Christmas before the day after Thanksgiving!" he says. Why? "It's just wrong," he says. "You've got to have standards."
He does support Thanksgiving decorations and encourages me to pick up some Indian corn and gourds. "I'm good with all those harvest-y things," he says.
But he just says no to anything that hints at a prematurely early Christmas. "To me, it gets the seasons crossed up," he says "They're still playing high school football. We've still got leaves on the trees. It's getting chilly, but it's not winter yet."
The ideal decorating time? My family unanimously votes for the first week of December. "It gets you in the spirit and more and more excited for Christmas," says my 13-year-old daughter. But 25 days, at most, is excitement enough. Sorry, Starbucks.
For more stories about Thanksgiving and Christmas, read:
How to be a Great Holiday Party Host and Guest
How to Feed Vegetarian Guests at Your Thanksgiving Dinner
