I saw a Christmas tree today...

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

18 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

On my way home from work this evening I saw two houses with Christmas lights already up. 

I bet Chevy Chase was involved.

[Fly-By-TheWire]

The two weeks in the run up to Christmas was always special for me as a child.   The three-month run-up trend that seems to be the norm these days just devalues the magic of it all.   I find that by mid-December I'm sort desensitised to it all and that makes Xmas Eve lose all its magic.   My wife has even started following the trend of giving the kids presents on Xmas Eve morning from the 'Christmas Fairy', because all the other parents have fallen for the commercial spin.   Bring back the 80s.

[Maximus Decimus]

13 hours ago, Fly-By-TheWire said:

The two weeks in the run up to Christmas was always special for me as a child.   The three-month run-up trend that seems to be the norm these days just devalues the magic of it all.   I find that by mid-December I'm sort desensitised to it all and that makes Xmas Eve lose all its magic.   My wife has even started following the trend of giving the kids presents on Xmas Eve morning from the 'Christmas Fairy', because all the other parents have fallen for the commercial spin.   Bring back the 80s.

This is a feature of modern Christmas due to social media. Somebody will have an idea that gets shared on social media, a few copy and before you know it if you're not doing it your kids are missing out.

I initially refused to do Elf on the Shelf because it seemed like a terrible idea. Instead of one night where the kids might catch you out, you now have 3 weeks plus of it. 

My lad had asked for one, and then went and wrote a letter to Santa that he put in his stocking. Heart-broken, I gave in.

After around 5/6 years my ideas are well and truly spent. Now my lad knows, I've given him the responsibility this year of doing it for his sister!

Christmas Eve boxes are another one that seemed to come from nowhere.

[Ullman]

On 08/11/2024 at 16:55, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

I bet Chevy Chase was involved.

It could have been down Chevy Chase. It's a street in East Hull (honest).

[The Hallucinating Goose]

On my way home from work this evening I saw a big, perhaps 6ft or so Christmas tree in the bay window of a two up, two down terrace and right around the corner from it another house with lights up around the door. Christmas is coming!

[Stirlin]

36 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

On my way home from work this evening I saw a big, perhaps 6ft or so Christmas tree in the bay window of a two up, two down terrace and right around the corner from it another house with lights up around the door. Christmas is coming!

......the Goose is getting fat.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

1 hour ago, Stirlin said:

......the Goose is getting fat.

Getting fat? That happened a long time ago mate!

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Another 6ft Christmas tree in a window a couple of streets away from me. Seems just about every shop in town is starting to put trees in their windows now. I'm sure I cannot recall so many trees going up so early in the past. 

[gazza77]

One of my team came back from 10 months mat leave this week. She had a tree (albeit a tiny one) on her desk within about a minute of arriving.

[sam4731]

14 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Another 6ft Christmas tree in a window a couple of streets away from me. Seems just about every shop in town is starting to put trees in their windows now. I'm sure I cannot recall so many trees going up so early in the past. 

I particularly remember that in 2020 lots of decorations went up early.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Bloomin eck! Christmas has crept up on us quick! It's only 3 weeks to Christmas on Wednesday, I better be thinking of getting my tree up this coming weekend!!

[Maximus Decimus]

On 15/11/2024 at 20:50, sam4731 said:

I particularly remember that in 2020 lots of decorations went up early.

This was when the November thing really kicked in.

The logic at the time was that, we'd had such a terrible year that you couldn't begrudge people celebrating early. I made the rather obvious point that it would become the norm and it has.

Despite everything, and as early as it seemingly gets every year, I just can't see mid to early November becoming the norm. I used to think that we'd slowly get to the point where Halloween decs go down and Christmas ones go to. Barring a few outliers, I suspect the norm will settle on the weekend around the 25th November, as they can self-justify it being a month before.

Personally, ours went up yesterday and to me it feels too early. I enjoyed it with the kids, had a couple of glasses of mulled wine and then realised it's still blimming ages away.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I just saw a Christmas tree on my way into work, Christ, they just get earlier and earlier every year! 

[OriginalMrC]

Driving around last night i saw a few still up Lazy lazy people who've had them up since November and can't be bothered to take them down. Pointless taking them down now, may as well leave them up until next year 

[Spidey]

38 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Driving around last night i saw a few still up Lazy lazy people who've had them up since November and can't be bothered to take them down. Pointless taking them down now, may as well leave them up until next year 

I know of a household that has had a Christmas tree up in their conservatory since 2020