December 1st: Holiday Question of the Day!

[KristinCB]

Hey Everyone! December is here already! I can hardly believe that in 25 days Christmas will be here. I for one am SO excited for the holidays this year.

All month long we will be bringing you a new question of the day or random poll to share some holiday (and non-holiday) fun. We all love to chat here and so this is the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other just a little bit better and see how everyone celebrates this holiday season.

So for today's question I'm asking:

How do you start off the holiday season?


Do you get in the mood by going out and doing some shopping, setting up the tree, or maybe starting holiday baking?

Can't wait to hear what everyone does!

[Leila]

Music. I cannot get into the holiday spirit without playing Christmas music non-stop. I try to wait until the day after Gobblefest, but this year Andrew had us listening to it in the car. One of the local radio stations started playing it 24/7 on October 1st!!!!

Oh--Gobblefest dinner too. The holidays start for me when I make cranberry jell-o salad. Yum!!

[jessica31876]

put up the tree, start shopping, make some fudge/cookies etc for gift giving. think thats about it. I can only tolerate so much christmas music though cause it is on the radio non-stop so I try to limit it to like the week before christmas

[Sharon Kay]

Well it used to start with holiday baking starting on December 1st...but since we are on a Robotics Team and at competition...that won't start until the following weekend....so I would say it really starts when we get the tree out...again I think that will be the weekend of the 12th...we'll have a "short season" this year I think. lol We have a Robotics Christmas Party that night...so I will definitely be in the mood for it!

...guess I need to start listening to Christmas music to get me in the mood! ...although most of my Christmas shopping was done before Thanksgiving...

[rachaelsscraps]

I try to start off the holiday season as early as possible. I start shopping around Halloween, and we always set up our tree the day after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately this year, we haven't really had snow yet so I'm not in a Christmasy mood yet.

We want to decorate the outside of our house too, probably this coming weekend. It's funny because only one other house in our area was decorated last year. I hope more people decorate their houses this year, it'll feel more festive

[jenn7]

Putting up the tree during Thanksgiving weekend. But other than that, I am feeling pretty scroogelike this year. Not sure why, but maybe I'll have to try one of these things to snap out of it.

[joelsgirl]

Hard to get into the spirit when you are dripping with sweat year round!

This year I am doing an activity with my kids every day, so hopefully by Christmas Day I'll be in teh mood.

[pomi]

Buying a pointsettia plant and put it on the dining table and starting baking the cookies.
We're for the first Christmas in our new house, where there is enough place for the decorations, big tree etc., so I feel like we're starting all the traditions new from now.

[nikkiARNGwife]

It isn't Christmas at my house until we've watched The Muppet Christmas Carol! I just love that movie and we watch it while we put up our tree.

[pewtertm]

I'd have to say it's putting out the holiday decorations on Thanksgiving Day while watching the Macy's parade on TV. That's a yearly event. Of course, we'd already gone driving through the park to look at lights, but it's the tree going up that really starts the season for me. That and hearing the BC Clark holiday jingle on TV. LOL

[Darcy Baldwin]

Tree-Day as we call it - day after Thanksgiving we put up the trees, the lights, decorate, begin listening to music...and away we go!

[sprauncey1]

Christmas tree up (Ok so its not decorated yet, but its up) and ginerbread loaf at Starbucks. I think it is the entire reason I gain 10 lbs in December!

[livelys]

I think we start to feel Christmassy when the trees go up - one for Alex to do as he likes with and the big family one that I'm in charge of! Roll on Saturday for it all to begin

Ooo, and making/ baking anything with All Spice or cinammon in always adds to the festive feeling too! Mince pies to do at the weekend - yum.

I have to say I am soooo behind on things this year, that I am starting to panic just a little...

[Stacey42]

The season begins with watching the Grinch & the Polar Express on Thanksgiving Weekend and then the Lego Advent Calendar, but this year I left it too late, it's out of stock and I can't find it anywhere for under $40 and I am not paying more for it. Fortunately Elvin, the Magic Elf arrived this morning & distracted them from asking about the calendar. This weekend we will be putting up the tree & lights & start watching holiday DVDs.

[ajf9597]

For me it's the shopping and putting up the tree

[jessica31876]

oh another christmas tradition we have is to drive around looking at all the lights. We do this several times this month. One of my favorite places to go is a little town near us called Titusville. They have all these old historical homes (really beautiful homes) and they all seem to decorate so well every year and its right on the water so we can get alot of pictures while over there.

[tettletop20]

Well, for me, it's definitely putting up the tree and all the decorations around the house. What fun!

[heathergw]

listening to Christmas music pulling out the Advent book... we haven't done a Christmas tree for the past couple years because we're never home for Christmas but this year I really want to... I just might leave the decorations off of it though, lol... gotta love a 1 year old who is ALL BOY! If our family room was done then I'd hang the stockings from the fireplace mantel... next year

[gracielou]

I love to start the Holiday season with music. Around Thanksgiving I turn on the Christmas music and it doesn't stop until about the day after Christmas.

[emmasmommy]

For us it's putting up the tree and all the decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving.

[junebug]

we just put the tree up on Sunday. as far as decorating goes thats just about it, but i'm thinking of draping some garland and ornaments from our big kitchen window and maybe hang a wreath from our front door. i want to make some cookies too.

[Keely~B]

Our tradition is to play the first Christmas song after Thanksgiving dinner, it makes us feel festive and gets us looking forward to all that goes on in Dec.

[kscwgirl]

Black Friday starts it for me... that's when I pull out my Christmas sweatshirts and start the shopping. Tree usually goes up that day too.. this year it went up Saturday.. but it's up.

[CA Dreamer]

For us, it is putting up the tree and going to the Holiday Parade the first Saturday of December. Because of scouts, we are always in it!

[MamaBee]

It's Christmas Extravaganza after Thanksgiving dinner when we turn on the Christmas lights of the house and shoot off fireworks!!!

[ColleenSwerb]

It varies from year to year for us, depending on where we're going and what we're doing. Sometimes the season starts out hectic right with Thanksgiving, lol. This year the season will be starting tonight, when I help Jordan finish decorating the outside, and we light our exterior decorations for the first time

[lauren grier]

I don't get into the mood till after ce's bday.. lol.. it's craziness otherwise and my head can only take so much. We usually watch how the grinch stole christmas (the original one ) too..

[Emmy]

black friday shopping online!

[Jenn Barrette]

Well, this year I started playing Christmas music right after Halloween....and had the tree up by Nov 12th LOL.

[sczos911]

We decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving. And start playing Christmas Music - although that started really eary due to Evelyn being hard core into the Christmas Mood the first week of November!

[Julie Billingsley]

for me it's the first big shopping trip that really starts it off for me. I went yesterday to do some shopping and now I'm all excited about wrapping the gifts and looking forward to Christmas!

[chastml]

We play Christmas music and put up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. My DH insists. No earlier, maybe a weekend later, if we've traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday, but never early.

[Paula]

We start off by getting our decorations all up and pretty. Then we spend the time baking goodies for activities and friends. I also do and send my cards out on the 1st. I have made that my deadline for three years and so far so good.

[iJenny]

For us, Christmas officially kicks off the day after Thanksgiving when we put up the Christmas Tree, decorate the house, and hang the lights outside. But I *want* to start the holiday season right after Halloween.

[Jennilyn]

I usually start shopping for gifts in October and decorate the last weekend in November. This year I decorated a bit earlier than usual

[jaylensmom]

Well for me the Christmas kickoff is shopping early morning on Black Friday...For my son it's putting up the tree and all the outside decorations (which we'll be doing today after I get home)...

[girlflies]

Putting up copius quantities of outdoor lighting starts our season. We've had an unusually mild Nov so there are obscene amounts of lights up and down the street! My dh completely lit up our little oak tree out back too (so I could look out the window and see the lights while chained to the sink doing dishes...).
Then there is the music...
Next, the tree..., and then cookies...., then eating the cookies....

[nun69]

shopping!!!!

[carriesmom]

I usually pull out Christmas decorations. I often buy new ones during Black Friday. Get the girl's Christmas ornaments for the year (a family tradition of mine of getting Christmas ornaments from Hallmark every year.) I also usually listen to a few tunes and plot out what I am going to watch over December. Nutcracker and White Christmas are a must!

[Side by Side]

My girls birthday is tomorrow and after the party on Saturday I will be so much more in the mood to decorate. I am so thankful they were born on the 2nd versus towards the end of the month. I like to have them have a seperate time for them.
As they get older though it is starting to not matter as much.

[HeatherKS]

For me, it's putting up the tree and decorations as soon as I can after Thanksgiving. I just can't get into shopping or anything else until the tree is up and the house looks like Christmas.

[neenee]

Definitely when the tree goes up for us. We aren't putting it up until this weekend (the 5th) so, I am not quite in the "spirit" yet but, am starting my December Daily album today so, it is making it really hard for me to want to work on it!

But, I can't put the tree up any sooner as I have to wait for everyone to be around. It's gotten harder and harder to put our tree up as a family now that the kids are older and working, etc. I don't like it up for more than about 3 weeks anyway. I feel like it clutters my house (darn OCD) so it comes down immediately on the morning of the 26th.

This year I plan to do alot of baking and crafts with our youngest daughter (12yo) so I think I will have lots more holiday spirit as the days progress. It is finally cooling off a bit here in South Texas too so, that helps.

[hollyxann]

Every year, for as long as I can remember, my family and I go pick out a tree, bring it home and put it up together. We always have it up by the first weekend in December. We decorate it and watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation while putting it up. It goes this way every year.

[tuneskids]

growing up, we never started decorating until the 10th (or later) of December, since my brother's birthday is the 9th. We will probably start here the weekend of the 12th (since we are going out of town this weekend to start/finish our Christmas shopping). We have our Thanksgiving in October, so it's too early to start decorating then. lol And we always do a real tree, and they don't last long around my children. hehehe

[Lizzy257]

Our holiday season will start this weekend, for DD's birthday. We usually put the tree up the weekend just after her birthday (depending what day of the week her birthday falls on, but this year the tree goes up the day before her birthday or it would be very late going up the next weekend), then everything is decorated for Christmas at her birthday party! Then the Christmas music starts (although DH tries to play Christmas music from early November ). In the few days before Christmas it's a flurry of baking here, and then we relax and enjoy your holiday (as much as the kids will allow !)

[scrapmonkey]

Christmas music usually puts me in the mood for the season. After that, I start thinking about the presents to buy/make. Decorating usually comes last - especially this year after I found the ornament box broken on the garage floor - I'm afraid to look inside to see what I've lost....

[~Julie~]

Definitely putting the tree up and starting our shopping. This year we had our tree up before turkey day.
I love Christmas but it is so stressful too so usually I can't wait for Christmas to come but be over quickly!

[schock77]

I usually start by decorating- this year I started by shopping and we started a new "tradition" at our house- the countdown calendar.

[Di-ahh]

December 1 the outside lights go on! We're still in phase 2 of putting them up and DH will probably still be adding to them for another week or so, LOL But they are on!

[scrappurple]

Well for the past 14 years, we get together with my best friend from high school and her family. The first Sunday after Thanksgiving, we all meet and go cut down our Christmas tree. They just moved 6 hours away so this is the first year that we have not had them with us to cut down our tree. In fact, we have yet to cut it down ... sigh ...