When is it appropriate to put the tree up?

Tends to be a week before, obviously when the boys were young it was earlier. I will put wreaths on the doors around the 15th though. My and DGD's birthday and our wedding anniversary are in the first week of December so don't want any decorations up then.

Dd2s Birthday is 11 th Dec. so our tree never went up before then. Didn’t see why she should share her ‘special’ day with Christmas. Have continuyjis, so ours goes up around the 15 th.
Far too early before December and for me would spoil the effect for Christmas itself.

I love the run up and hate the after

Best of luck, ffionchio in your move!

I'm not sure that when you buy a real tree makes much difference to its longevity. I live in an area of Scotland that grows trees commercially for Christmas and the lorries are already making their way south laden with netted trees. By 25th Dec they'll have been cut for approximately five weeks!

Or should that be Ho Ho

Each year, I fight with my conscience about cost, environmental issues etc and then I get swept up in the artistic side of it and love special lighting. I have annual temptations and Christmas lighting is one of them. ( Others include a new lawnmower in the spring, new winter boots and new coats.)

I've always done 12 days before and took down twelve days after . Hey Ho though . Each to their own.

Everyone’s different I can’t bear it to be up too early so around 10 days before and about a week after is fine for me
I get really bored seeing them up in a November

Mine used to go up on December 10th, the night before my daughters birthday. When her brother came along on the day before her birthday, but 19 years later, we began to put the tree up on the 9th. Although our son left home a few years ago he still likes to come home and help to decorate the tree with me.

Even better, SueDonim - house sitting for friends, until we buy.

Mamie Yes. Time for a change of scene.

Another year we moved house mid-December and somehow I managed to cobble Christmas together! The carpet firm had made a mistake measuring up and we had no carpets until well into the New Year and the central heating kept making a terrible noise. We still managed to enjoy ourselves.

The weekend before Christmas (or the one before that depending what day Christmas falls on). Anything earlier takes the magic out of the whole thing and children get confused as to when the "special" day is.

One year all the needles had fallen off by Christmas Eve. We had bought it about 10 days previously from a garden centre in Twickenham.

ffinnochio Are you leaving France? ?

The simple answer is whenever you want to. The only limit is the tree. If it is artificial, again no limit, if real, then not so early that all the needles have fallen off before the New Year.

hildajennij Snap. My birthday is also 11th. Dec, and we always put the tree up then when we were children DH and I still do the same. However we have moved the furniture around a bit today so we have a little more room.

ffinochio time to hand over to the professional movers and book yourself into a lovely hotel!

I go mad at Christmas time with decorating the house. I have garlands up the stairs, wreaths on the door and every mantle piece decorated. There are candles everywhere. It brings out my December-only control-freakery as no one else is allowed to touch or add to the displays.

The tree has to be just-so with precious baubles/ornaments/decorations I have collected over the years or ones I inherited from my Mum.

I love the run up to Christmas and as getting everything just-so is important to me. Because I love the ambience and look forward to Christmas, I intend to start early this year. You cannot have too much time sitting in a decorated house feeling Christmassy, imo. The carols play too.

It all falls flat after Boxing Day, and New Year celebrations always seem a bit of an anti-climax, so I want a good few weeks in a festive December house. I am planning to get the decs down from the loft and start on getting the house decorated next weekend. It's a mammoth task, but the results are worth it. OH does the manual work up, ladders, etc.

SueDomin Impressed. I’ll also be moving countries ?

Fun times, ffinochio! We once moved on 14th December with three children & a tiny baby, a dog, two cats and a rabbit.

Somehow I cobbled Christmas together!

My American/Italian/Irish daughter-in-law puts her tree up the week following Thanksgiving, which is today. She embraces every celebration to the full (smile)

I don’t always do a tree, but faff around with a twig or two about a week before Christmas. This year very little will be done as I’ll be in the middle of a house move during that time.

#crazyplanning

That's fabulous shysal How talented you are. Well done.

I usually put my tree up during the first weekend of December. Although the first weekend is very early this year so might make it the second weekend. Can't wait to take it down after Christmas is over though.

Last year I had my first ever "real" Christmas tree. It was so lovely and made me feel almost tearful.

Christmas Eve otherwise the novelty and joy is worn off before Christmas even gets here.

We will be away so wont bother this year but usually about the 15th Dec.