There is a little less than a week left of October, if you can believe it, and the transition from the spooky fall to the Holidays is already underway. Stores in my area have consolidated their Halloween fair into small “Liquidation” sections, and the wreaths, trees, and lights have started filling up the vacant shelves.
If you haven’t already, it’s around now that parents start thinking about the Holiday season. Gifts, parties, baking, and a million other things need to get done before that magical day in December. First things first, though, when to put out the decorations.
There seem to be two schools of thought on this: either do it early or wait until December to get started. While I’m sure both views have their benefits, I can’t say that I have always been behind decorating early.
In Canada, November 11th is a very somber day in which we reflect on the sacrifice of our military veterans, much like Memorial Day in the US. Having cheery decorations up on this day seems a bit inappropriate, so I often chose to leave it until after that. In recent years, though, my mindset has shifted as I considered a few factors.
The Pros and Cons of Early Decorating
There are many reasons to put up your decorations early. For example, I much prefer stringing lights on a cool, crisp October afternoon than on a rainy, cold November or snowy December. There’s also the potential that there are some hooks or ropes still up from your Halloween decor that can be repurposed. Some folks even dress up their 12-foot skeletons in Santa outfits and go with that.
There’s also a lot of research showing that putting up decorations early can improve mental health. In 2023, Elaine Rodino, a psychologist practicing at State College in Pennsylvania, told Discovery Magazine, “A lot of people do just keep putting things off. They always feel they don’t have time to do it until they’re really under a lot of pressure to do it. But it would be nice to do it earlier, so that they don’t put that pressure on themselves.”
But putting up the decorations early can lead to a bit of fatigue by the time Christmas rolls around, almost two months later. A 2025 study by Integrative Psychology noted, “Decorating excessively early might lead to burnout or diminish the novelty and excitement of the holiday season. It can also intensify feelings of loneliness or loss for individuals who struggle during this time, heightening emotional challenges.”
So, How Soon Is Too Soon?
As I mentioned, I used to be a rigorous December 1st person when it came to putting out the Christmas decorations. Then I had kids, and it backed off to about November 15th. During the pandemic, however, I began putting the decorations up as soon as Halloween was over, and I haven’t looked back.
These days, there is so much to be worried about in the world that I see anything that brings joy as something to be cherished. If the decorating and general holiday vibe bring joy to you and your family, I say, why wait? Put up the tree, get out the lights, and put Rudolph on the front lawn. Whatever makes you smile can’t be a bad thing.
A tip, though: if you do decide to go the early decorating route, spread it out. You don’t need to get everything up and ready on anyone’s schedule but yours. Doing the lights one week, the tree the next, etc., can not only provide a much longer experience for you and the family, but also relieve some of that Holiday Decorating pressure for parents.
You Don’t Need A Giant Rudolph To Enjoy The Holidays
Every year, stores and companies up the stakes (and costs) for Halloween decorations. You like your 12-ft skeleton? I’ll see it and raise you a 15-foot animatronic wrath that spits smoke and roars at passersby.
This kind of attitude has crept into Holiday decorations as well, with 20-foot, moving and singing blowups, miles of lights, and even holographic projectors. This is all very, very cool stuff, and the pressure to get it from kids to parents and parents to parents is immense. So with that acknowledged, I want to remind you: you don’t need it.
Sure, it’s great to have a massive holiday display, and if you can afford it and have the time, more power to you. But busy parents who find themselves saying “in this economy?” a lot may not have the same ability to acquire everything and set it up. That’s perfectly fine, and it’s important to remember that the Holidays are a marathon, not a sprint. Spread it out, take it easy, and everything will get done by the time Santa lands on the roof.
Not to sound like the old man that I am, when I was a kid, we had a few strings of lights and a wreath, and that was about it. Anything beyond that was stuff that we made and I’m a massive fan of making things for special occasions, both because it gives your place a unique look and it makes for a special memento for the family.
So if you get everything done on the 1st of November, or are still trimming trees on the 24th of December, you can still enjoy everything the Holidays have to offer. Doesn’t that sound like a nice gift for everyone?
