Prepping for Holidays
I’m spending the afternoon studying German and writing, wishing, day dreaming, and completing a project I started for all of you last month. I’m working on a creative project that’s been harder than I expected because it’s for Christmas. And when I work on Christmas stuff, I think of snow and of being with my family. And when I’m not thinking of them, I am thinking about doing creative projects that are a part of this project.
And when I attempt to do my homework and learn German verbs, well the temptation for distractions erupts all over again. It’s all very productive.
I know that if I sit here and offer a sneak peek to all of you, I will continue. I will stop looking at pictures of family and blue sky.
I will be distracted instead by your thoughts or by the work in front of me. So stay tuned for a holiday surprise very soon.
In the meantime, I have a question. If you lived in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving next week say like… oh I don’t know… me… and you still have to go to work and school on Thanksgiving day… well how early would you put up your Christmas tree?
Or how early do you?
November 17th, 2009 at 8:28 am
When my sister lived in Germany she would put hers up in early December. All her neighbors thought it was weird but they already knew they were the weird Americans anyway. It just doesn’t seem like Christmastime without a tree up. I think no matter where I lived I would always have it up early in December just because it’s a family tradition.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:47 am
We put our tree up on St. Nicholas Eve, which is Dec 5 and leave it up until the Epiphany (Jan.6). I would love to put it up right now, but then I’ll be sick of it by Christmas and pulling it down on Dec 26th.
So, do you not get to celebrate Thanksgiving at all? Can you make a Tofurkey and invite people over in the evening? It makes me sad that you won’t be celebrating. :(
November 17th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Even though we are in Germany, we celebrate Thanksgiving and I still can’t put up the Christmas tree before then. I usually put up our tree around the first of December, whenever I make enough time to find and pull out all of the boxes of decorations. I’m looking forward to the Christmas markets, which start soon!
November 17th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Our tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving.
November 17th, 2009 at 9:18 am
When we lived in Germany we got our trees a few weeks before Christmas. Here in the US we usually cut a tree from the state forest the second weekend in Dec. We go up to our cabin with friends and family, ski to cut our trees, pull them out on sleds. We’ll eat lunch, drink hot cocoa then head back outside for more sledding. It’s almost as much fun as New Years which involves over 100 luminarias on the sledding hill, a bonfire and fireworks. This year will be so different as we’re headed to New Zealand for a month.
November 17th, 2009 at 9:44 am
My parents have that very same “To: From:” stamp!
Our tree always goes up Thanksgiving weekend, which is also when the Christmas books, music, mugs, and sundry decorations come out of hiding. Also tradition: fondue dinner in the living room so we can admire our tree….
November 17th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I’d still put it up the day after Thanksgiving – or that weekend at least.
LOVE that little project so cute AND doable!
November 17th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I start decorating our appartement around Nov 24th. But we don’t put our tree up until Dec 23th and then we decorate it on the morning of Dec 24th. Maybe it’s a german thing, I’ve grown up this way and it seems strange to display the tree earlier.
On the other hand, I still have it up Mid-January because I like it so much and it’s hard for me to take it down.
Hmm, maybe it’s time for a little rescheduling…
November 17th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Katie,
If my 7yr old son had his way it would have been up two weeks ago. We comprimised with him and are putting it up this weekend. The reason we are doing it this weekend is we are having friend drive up From Wichita, to visit us over thanksgiving (In Dallas). It dont seem right really putting it up this early considering until just two days ago we were all still walking around in shorts.
As far as thanksgiving in Germany my wife has already discussed this with her family, for when we move to Germany next year. They are actually excited to learn not only about this holiday but also the 4th of July and to celebrate and eat as we do in America, to learn more about our culture. Little things such as this will really help in my adjustment.
Eric
November 17th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
We are old-fashioned in the sense that we like to keep the tradition of Advent. I have a bunch of kids, and I always use this time of year to teach them about patience and waiting. Advent is great for this. The stores and TVs are shouting “CHRISTMAS!!!” in early November, but Advent calls us to take things in their own time. We use an Advent calendar to count the days and light candles of an Advent wreath to count the weeks until Christmas. But before Advent there is Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday, mostly because the simpleness of the day is juxtaposed with the hedonism of “black Friday” (when stores start their Christmas sales.) My youngest son’s birthday is December 15, and I never put the Christmas tree up until after his birthday, so that his day doesn’t get mixed up in the mess of Christmas.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I live in England and have been fighting the urge to decorate for a week now. That being said, almost all the towns already have lights up. I just decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving – just like I would in the states. I dont think I could wait any longer.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I’m like many… mine goes up sometime during Thanksgiving weekend (usually the Friday or Saturday after, but sometimes as early as Thanksgiving evening).
November 17th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Hey that gift on the right in the second photo looks great! I wonder who it’s to!
November 17th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I say put your tree up when ever it strikes your fancy!
November 17th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Here in Canada, our Thanksgiving Day has come & gone, as has Remembrance Day. I’ve been feeling the itch to put the tree up… I’m thinking we’ll probably do it one day next week.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I’m in Australia. We don’t have Thanksgiving Day. I’ve always known the 1st of December to be the date you put up the tree, though all the shopping centres have had their Christmas decorations up since early October! Aah!
November 17th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
For me, Christmas is a holiday, not a season! It does not start in October or November. I like the tradition of Advent, with an Advent wreath with four candles. When I was a child, my parents would put up and decorate the tree at secretly on Christmas eve, and then we children were allowed to come in, see the tree and find our gifts. It was so festive! Now I feel the magic is gone.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Since we always travel during the holidays, we are never in our own home past December 20th or so. That cuts down on the time we get to enjoy our own tree (but my mom makes up for that by having about 5 throughout her house). I usually put the tree up right after Thanksgiving. We haven’t really figured out what we are doing this year yet, but I have been tempted to put up some of my other holiday decorations already!
Katie
November 18th, 2009 at 5:22 am
We (one Canadian, one German and two German-Canadian kids) usually put our tree up on the first Advent Sunday which is November 29th this year. I could never warm up to the tradition of putting up the tree on Dec. 24th. Just not enought time to enjoy it.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I enjoyed reading all the comments left for you. I learn so much through your blog!
My daughter and I started the “Shop after Thanksgiving Day” tradition! When she was smaller, we would make the trek out to the Christmas Tree Farm and chop a tree down. Now that she’s older….being the 2 ladies in the family that we are, after our traditional early wake up shopping we travel over to Lowes and pick out a wonderful, big, smelling, Frazier Fur of a tree….and the guys in our family pick it up to bring it home!!!
BUT my parents when we were living in Germany started a tradition that lasted all through out my childhood, and that is they waited till Christmas Eve. after us kids went to bed…to drag in a tree that we never knew was around…..stay up all night in putting the lights on it, and decorating it. What a surprise for us kids on Christmas morning!!!!!
November 18th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I love love love reading all of your comments. They make me so happy (and so very homesick!!).
Thank you for the smiles. We’ve come up with a great Christmas idea, I do believe. More on that soon–
Katie
November 18th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Well, Superman’s birthday is 12/15 and since we always want him to feel that his birthday is special in and of itself, we wait until the weekend nearest his birthday (or the 16th, if the weekend’s are weird) and it stays up until I can’t stand it, but no later than 1/2. Our tree takes up so much space and our Christmas decorations, while lovely, seem superfluous after the holiday, so I’m always eager to clear the air (and the walls and the floor)…
November 18th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I Australia, its traditional to wait until the 1st of December or if you are religious until after St Nicholas’ Day otherwise you won’t get chocolates in your shoes as he thinks ” Oh well, you are waiting for that Santa guy”