The 5 Reasons I Put Up Christmas Decorations Before Thanksgiving

christmas decorationsEvery year when Halloween approaches and stores begin rolling our their holiday decorations, I start seeing and hearing a lot of grumbling about how we shouldn’t decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving. And every year, like a good girl, I wait until after Thanksgiving to put up my Christmas decorations; however, I did not wait this year. This year when I brought the Halloween decorations back up to the attic, I bypassed the Thanksgiving decorations and brought the Christmas decorations downstairs instead. Then I proceeded to deck the heck out of my halls.

Here are five reasons there is no shame in my holiday decorating game:

1. It makes me happy.

I love when my  house is decorated for Christmas. Every bit of the decor makes me happy – from the tree to the garland on the staircase, to the mini Santa Claus clothesline we use to display our holiday cards. Each year when King’s Day passes, my indoor decorations stay up longer than socially acceptable so why not be socially unacceptable before the holidays too?

living-room2. My family travels for Thanksgiving.

My husband is from Massachusetts. We usually spend Thanksgiving with his family in New England, so we aren’t even home for Thanksgiving. We usually don’t return to New Orleans until the second week of December, so we miss out on almost two whole weeks of Christmas decor by waiting until after Thanksgiving to decorate. By putting up the decorations the day after Halloween I get to stretch out the “most wonderful time of the year” in my home a bit longer.

3. It’s less stressful.

Usually when we return home from our Thanksgiving trip it takes me a day or two (ahem, or six) to unpack our suitcases, do laundry, and get the family settled back into our normal routines. Trying to hurry up and decorate for Christmas in the midst of the chaos makes it less fun. I am so ready to have the house adorned that I rush through it and don’t enjoy putting the decorations up as much as I should. By decorating early, I can do a little each day over the course of a few days and take the time to reminisce when hanging ornaments or flipping through last year’s holiday cards.

4. My kids love it.margot-tree

Well, my daughter is one and doesn’t speak yet, so I don’t know for sure that she loves it, but my son certainly does. Hearing my son gasp, “Mommy, our house looks so beautiful,” the first time he saw the tree and the garland this year was so heartwarming. It is as heartwarming to hear him appreciate the decorations being put up as it is heartbreaking to see him be sad when they are taken down at the end of the season. And he is oh so sad each year. Decorating before Thanksgiving to bring him more joy is really just me being an amazingly thoughtful mother if you think about it.

5. It doesn’t feel like fall anyway, so I’ll just pretend it’s winter.

Look, when my kids are wearing shorts in mid-November and my boots and scarves have only seen one light of day since February, no amount of pumpkin spice, gourds, or corn husks will make it feel like fall. This year rather than hanging my “Be Thankful” poster above the mantle, I’ll show you one of the things I’m thankful for … my Christmas decorations.

Tell us, when do you decorate for the winter holidays? 

Marie
Marie is the owner of Little Hometown, a company specializing in locally themed baby swaddles and apparel. Prior to opening her business, Marie was a professional event planner turned stay-at-home mom. She spent nearly a decade living in New York City, where she met her husband, Jeff (a New England native). Early in their relationship, Marie told Jeff that New Orleans is the only place where she would want to raise her children. As soon as she got pregnant, they started shopping for houses. They moved back in December of 2012, welcomed their son in 2013 and their daughter in 2015. Marie now spends her days entertaining her kids with silly songs, desperately attempting to stay organized, and balance her life as a work-at-home mom.

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