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My family tradition when I was younger was to set up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and take it down on New Year's. I brought that tradition with me into my marriage, but we sort of changed things around a few years ago.*
I don't remember all the circumstances, but it was while we were in Salmon that we broke that tradition for the first time. I know part of it is that we wanted Lee to be involved in setting up the tree and he was going to be gone. It seems there were a few other factors too, but the only thing I remember for sure is that we set up the Christmas tree the week before Thanksgiving. I felt totally rebellious, but it was the logical thing to do at the time.
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Since then, I've actually decided that waiting until after Thanksgiving to set everything up really shortens the amount of time you have to enjoy the season. (See my last paragraph below for more thoughts on this.) If I'd really been thinking ahead, I would have had us set up our tree last weekend while Lee was here, but I didn't think of it quite that early. This week, however, I realized we are going to be leaving the middle of December to spend Christmas with Lee and my parents in Wyoming. I wanted to get my full 30 days (at least) of enjoying the tree, so we put it up today. Hooray!
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On a side note, I've traditionally been a perfectionist for setting up the tree (inherited from my mom) -- you know, make sure the lights and ornaments are perfectly spaced, etc. Well, I've been working really hard on letting the kids put the ornaments wherever they want and not worrying about it. This year I realized they didn't have anything on the bottom of the tree, so I pointed that out. When I looked back over a few minutes later, I noticed 15 Christmas ball ornaments hanging from the bottom of the tree in the front. (You can sort of see them in the picture of Morgan.) Gave me a good laugh! The best part is that they are still hanging in the same place -- I'm making progress. :)
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One final side note...I can understand when people get frustrated about Christmas starting so early, but I really love it. When I see Christmas things in the store and hear Christmas music (we have two blessed stations that play Christmas music beginning the day after Halloween), it makes me so happy. I don't feel the commercialism; I feel the spirit of it. And why not carry that spirit a little longer? In fact, the spirit of Christmas actually even makes my Thanksgiving be more joyful and full of gratitude. I had some insights last Christmas that have come back to me recently. One of my first blogs was about the song "The Little Drummer Boy". Take a moment and go back and read that. I love Christmas!!!
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(Don't forget to read my other new post below...) ;)
4 comments:
I LOVE the Christmas music, but I don't like seeing all the ads and such, because my kids want ALL the toys. Anyone have ideas on how to keep the Christmas spirit on giving and not getting?!?
By the way, you'll get more than your full 30 days since your parents probably will have a tree up as well ...
I love that you made up your own Christmas traditions. I made up mine or rather they just happened and we realized they worked well for our family. Actually Yesterday I put the Halloween decorations away and got out the Thanksgiving ones. We might not have our Christmas tree until Valentines.
In response to Denise...Yes, I know I'll still be able to enjoy my parents' tree (assuming they have it up before Valentines), but there is one sad thing I've learned: As much as I enjoy the tree and the season, I really don't enjoy setting it up and especially taking it down (especially when Lee isn't here). So my real concern with the 30 days was to make sure I got the most of my efforts here at home. :)
Hooray for Christmas! I'm with you, if I'm doing all the work of decorating, I want to enjoy it for as long as possible! The tree looks great by the way!
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