Is mid-November too soon for dragging the Christmas tree out of storage? 1News Christmas correspondent Anna Murray investigates.
I put up our Christmas tree on Sunday.
It felt so good, I immediately put up our second straight-out-of-the-'80s tinsel Christmas tree, too. (Yes, I have two Christmas trees. This shouldn't be a surprise coming from somebody who was assembling them on November 12.)
But when I shared these weekend exploits with my colleagues during our morning meeting today, some were rendered speechless.
It prompted the question — when is too early to put up your Christmas tree?
Traditional timings
The practice of putting up a Christmas tree is thought to have begun in Germany several centuries ago.
But when those Christmas trees went up would vary.
Some Christians would only put their decorated trees up on Christmas Eve. There were religious reasons for this, as well as superstitious reasons. Traditionally, it was thought to be bad luck to have decorations up too soon.
This practice of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve likely made practical sense at the time, too — these were real trees, sometimes decorated with lit candles i.e. a logistical nightmare.
Many Christians today still only put their festive decorations up on Christmas Eve.
Others traditionally put their Christmas tree up on the first day of Advent. In Western Christianity, the first day of Advent is the fourth Sunday before Christmas. In 2023, that day is Sunday, December 3.
These days, there is a lot of variation as to when Christmas trees go up.
Some people choose to put the decorations up as soon as Halloween is over (November 1). The artificial tree makes this an easy task for Christmas tragics like myself.
But others refuse to even think about Christmas trees before December, especially if they are choosing a real tree — nobody wants a dead tree in the corner of the lounge come December 25, after all.
Taking down the tree
When to take the Christmas tree down is a topic that is nearly as hotly debated as when to put those decorations up.
Much like putting up decorations too early, taking decorations down before certain dates is also considered bad luck by some.
Traditionally, many Christians remove Christmas decorations on the Twelfth Night (January 5) or Epiphany (January 6). But again, this varies depending on what part of the world you're in.
So, is November 12 too early to put up the Christmas tree?
In some parts of the world, yes.
But in my house, no.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer, despite what some might have suggested in my meeting earlier today. If you celebrate Christmas, just do whatever feels right in your festive (or Grinchy) heart.
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