This is the exact date you should put up your Christmas decorations (2024)

FAQs

This is the exact date you should put up your Christmas decorations? ›

Most religious sources recommend waiting till at least the third Sunday of Advent. Looking at Christmas tree history, any day until Christmas Eve is fine to put your tree up.

The First Day of Advent

For many Christians, it's traditional to start putting up Christmas decorations on Advent Sunday, i.e. the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day (in 2023, this will happen on Sunday, December 3rd). Advent marks the start of the new liturgical year and a time of expectation and hope.

Most people start decorating for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving, while others choose to wait until mid-December. Right after Thanksgiving is a great option because often, family is still gathered in one home and can decorate together. It also allows for a great transition between the two holidays.

According to tradition, Christmas trees and decorations should go up on the first day of Advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas.

The occasion can be marked with an Advent candle and Advent wreath. Tradition dictates that Christmas trees should be put up at the beginning of Advent, which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This year, Advent begins on Sunday 3rd December 2023.

Date. In many Western ecclesiastical traditions such as the Lutheran and Anglican denominations of Christianity, Christmas Day is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days are 25 December – 5 January, inclusive, making Twelfth Night on 5 January, which is Epiphany Eve.

Many people, however, switch their minds to the holidays as soon as Halloween is over. And it turns out, experts agree that putting up your Christmas tree in November is good, and one study states that putting up your holiday decorations early immediately increases your happiness.

But, fun fact: in recent years, the last weekend of November has become an increasingly popular date to put the Christmas tree up, although it, of course, varies from family to family.

The Earliest Time To Set Up Christmas Trees

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the earliest you should set up a Christmas tree or decorate with Christmas-specific trimmings. Waiting until Black Friday prevents your beautiful tree from stealing your big turkey dinner's thunder.

But for many people, it probably has a lot to do with nostalgia. “For a lot of us, Christmas is a magical time, it's a time of innocence, it's a time of joy,” Serani said. Whatever it is, this is your official excuse: Get those Christmas decorations out and feel the festive feelings.

Can you decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving? ›

Just Go for It

If putting up your tree or garlands early makes you happy, there's no real reason to fight it. "If Christmas brings you joy, then by all means, put your tree up when the spirit moves you," Bradley urges. "Wherever we can find those pockets of joy that make life so sweet, embrace them."