Festive food and drinks have been stocked on supermarket shelves since the summer, and Christmas music is seemingly creeping onto radio stations earlier and earlier each year.
But with “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” all around us, it poses the question – when is an acceptable time to start putting up your Christmas lights and decorations?
One woman took to Mumsnet to ask whether she was being unreasonable for branding her decoration-eager neighbour “attention seeking”.
The user claims that her neighbour has had a “fully lit tree in the window, outdoor lights, Christmas wreath on the door- the works,” since October 31 – Halloween.
“She’s done this since she moved next door to me five years ago and I assume she did it before that too,” the user continued.
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“Since I’ve known her, she’s also posted on Insta and her WhatsApp status each year on either Christmas Day or the 26th to show her decorations coming down and a general ‘I can’t spend another minute looking at them’ message.
“If she put them up at Christmas and not at Halloween, she wouldn’t be looking at them for all that long,” argued the user.
After branding all people who put their decorations up “super early” attention seeking, the original poster did explain: “I know there are some exceptions where decorations are put up for different reasons like someone with a terminal illness, a family celebrating early before someone emigrates etc. but those are rare so I’m not factoring then into my thoughts around this.”
Several users flocked to the forum to give their opinion on the matter, with user @Iamclearlyamug commenting: “I agree, but I’m a scrooge who thinks the C word should be banned until December 1 and wouldn’t have a tree at all unless DD [dear daughter] and OH [other half] put it up and down each year.”
“I agree with you, it’s ridiculous and tacky. However, lots of people love it and I suppose it doesn’t do any harm. But I do judge,” added user @BrandNewBicep.
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Forum user @Tothemoonandbackx agreed: “I LOVE Christmas, but everything goes up over the first weekend in December. Means I don’t have to spend months on end cleaning round all the dec’s I’ve got and hoovering up the fake snow from the tree…”
And @ToWhitToWhoo offered a measured response, commenting: “It annoys me a bit when I notice it; but I don’t think it’s necessarily attention seeking. Some people just have a desire to do Christmas for all it’s worth, while others (me) are a bit more minimalist,” before adding: “But I’ll admit that my personal reaction to Christmas in November is ‘bah humbug!’”
However, other Mumsnet users saw absolutely nothing wrong with starting festive celebrations early, with @CryCeratops adding: “Some people just really, really love Christmas.”
“I’m not seeking attention by putting my decorations up early – it takes me ages, I bloody love them and I enjoy my home being festive. I couldn’t care less if people see them / make judgements etc,” responded @monsteronahill.
“My mum puts hers up in mid November, she just loves Christmas and likes to put the decorations up around her birthday. Definitely not an attention seeker,” added @womanofthemoon.
While user @ghostyslovesheets commented on the post, saying: “I think some people just like the cheer during these dark nights, so it doesn’t bother me. I am a bit sniffy about people who rip it all down on Boxing Day though – no idea why it just irks me!”
Traditionally Christmas trees and decorations are put up on the first day of Advent, the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which this year falls on Sunday, December 3.
The tradition of Christmas trees in the UK is thought to have started when Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, imported some trees over from his native Germany.
“Evergreen” trees have been a part of German celebrations since at least the Middle Ages, when they symbolised the Garden of Eden.
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