@BunsenBurner - that brought back memories! Does anyone still put tinsel on their tree?
I remember being a kid in the '60’s and loving the aluminum trees with the rotating color light! My parents were horrified - we always had a real tree.
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We had one of those aluminum trees with the rotating color light! We never had a real tree growing up. But DH ONLY had real trees. By the 2nd or so year of marriage, I converted him.
Tree goes up first weekend of Advent, and comes down after January 6. Over the past several years, I’ve really streamlined that, too. No need to put every.single.ornament on the tree (especially since we are now empty nesters and I’m the only one doing it). I’ve really streamlined the other decorations, too (and no one seems to care).
Stockings have gone by the wayside. I didn’t even grow up with Christmas stockings (and we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve). It was a big deal for DH’s family. He was the one to do the stockings over the past 5 or so years. Last year our kids didn’t come home for Christmas (covid), and we didn’t do the stockings at all. I hope that continues! (It’s already worked with Halloween, and since we didn’t hand out Halloween candy last year because of covid, I was able to eliminate that this year, too.)
Advent calendars? That ended when the kids left elementary school.
If there were grandchildren, I would definitely restart stockings and do Advent calendars for them.
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My high school boyfriend was British. His parents put real candles on their tree every year! They kept a bucket of water right next to it. It was very beautiful but it sure made me nervous.
We gave up tinsel for good when we started getting cats. I never used it much.
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A friend’s mom used to have the Christmas tree on a wheeled dolly. She’d wheel it out of the closet, set it up, have Christmas, and wheel the whole thing back to the closet. I don’t think the set up took even 30 minutes.
Of course you need a spare closet!
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I had a friend who had, “Christmas tree closet,” as one of her goals if she ever built a house.
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When my mom got older and got a skinny little artificial tree the lights stayed on it all the time and it didn’t take that long to decorate because it was so skinny, but I am wed to my real tree so the whole thing takes longer.
I used to do it on thanksgiving or that weekend. I’m a thanksgiving hater (hate forced family togetherness. And not a fan of turkey and vegetables) so I’d rather move on to Xmas.
I started doing it early last year (weekend before thanksgiving) because I wanted it all done when the kids came home. I didn’t want them to have to help. The process takes all day at least. Everything is up in our attic with a permanent staircase, but it’s many many trips of boxes and trees up and down two flights of stairs.
We have two main artificial trees that I put on gobs of ornaments that we’ve collected from our travels, I had a photo ornament of each kids each year, hallmark, homemade ones from everyone from the kids to H& my childhood year and even some that H’s grandmother stitched. Definitely not Martha Stewart but I call them my memory trees. I’m a sucker for nostalgia
We also have a small one in younger S’ room that sits on a radiator cover and looks big from the street and a 6 foot one that goes on the porch. And the Xmas village on the piano, the nativity, and just stuff everywhere.
It comes down on NYE because we are boring people who don’t go anywhere and taking it down is the only way I’ll stay up until midnight to see the ball drop
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Heard there is a shortage of trees in California and Oregon due to fires and weather.
So I guess I’m the only one who has theirs up already lol.
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Definitely grew up with tinsel. Don’t think my
Kids ever experienced it!
Those artificial trees with the color wheels are HUGELY coveted now. People will
Pay big bucks for one.
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My sister still puts tinsel on her tree. She says it is getting harder to find but she can always get some at the Christmas Tree Shop.
No tinsel. Because… cats. 
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Were flocked trees popular all over the country? They were in Texas. That’s what my parents got for years.
It’s a mild weekend here in northern Ohio - I’m wondering - especially today - if I’ll see people putting up their outdoor holiday decorations. :(. I saw one house yesterday.
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I’ve decided we will put ours up the weekend before Thanksgiving. We are traveling over TG, and I think it will be nice to come home to having it up.
We do a tree, stockings, and a Mary/Joseph/Jesus. We are in a condo in a secure building, but most have a wreath on their door. I haven’t done that before but think I will this year.
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We’ve decided I will fly down to Austin at Christmas to be with my dad and sister. DH will stay here because of the puppy and work obligations, plus he can celebrate the holiday with our two kids in the area. I told him that tree, house decorating, etc. is on him this year. It will be interesting to see what he does. My prediction is that he won’t do anything until the week of Christmas snd then feel guilty and go into high gear!
Two houses on our street that typically go all out with Christmas decor already had crews putting lights on the roof yesterday. Not sure if they will turn those lights before Thanksgiving or not.
There was a house we used to drive by in another neighborhood when our kids were small. They not only had lights out the wazoo, but they also had them blinking on and off in a coordinated way with music; and you could turn your car radio to a local station where you could listen to the music to which the lights were blinking. There was a steady and continuous stream of cars by this house whenever the light display was on. Our kids loved it (the neighbors probably hated it).
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Historically, I put mine up around the Friday/Saturday after Thanksgiving. My ex used to always complain because he thought that was too early and that it can’t be Christmas season until after his birthday on the 7th of December. He’d usually give in and help me decorate early, but there were a few times where I gave in and decorated “late”. We kinda alternated that for the first 9 years of owning this house.
Last year, my boyfriend and I put our tree up at the beginning of November. It seemed really early, but Christmas trees are pretty and due to all the Covid stuff we decided we needed some extra prettiness in our living room. I’m hoping to do the same thing this weekend. Not because of prettiness, but because we are going on vacation the 21st-27th and won’t have time to put the tree up either of those weekends. I want to come home after our trip and have it all ready to go. 
, just like @Hoggirl .
We are also traveling for the three days leading up to Christmas this year and I fully intend to bring a little tree with us to put in our airbnb.
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