When does the season start for you?

DvB

Most of us on here look forward to celebrating the most wonderful time of the year, but aside form starting to pick up presents and start making plans, when does the Christmas 'season' start for you?

For years I'd have said the start of December, but since having children that has definitely crept forward to the extent we put up our decorations on the weekend of the late late toy show which is usually late November, and the starting of Christmas FM on the radio (& not online) is a real benchmark that the season has started in earnest.

We start looking at Christmas films usually around mid November (though this year we've had one or two random outliers in Klaus & the polar express when the kids asked to see them) though I'm not sure if we'd consider that as being 'in season', so for us I think it really starts that final weekend in November when the decorations go up.

I'm always conscious of not starting too early, at the risk of diluting the enjoyment of the season and some years I might not get the Christmas 'feels' until I finish work for the year which can be as late as the 23rd, then randomly some years the feeling is stronger than in others, but there doesn't appear to be any link back to when we started looking at or doing Christmas related stuff either... people all have their own ideas around when it starts, so when does it start for you? Or would it change year on year?

TRS30

7th January............only joking 😂

For me it's around mid/late November, once we are over all the birthdays, anniversaries etc we have that month. Obviously we are getting presents and organising things before then however that is when i go 'full Christmas'. I think 6 weeks is about long enough without, as you said, diluting things too much.

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982805#Comment_117982805

Beat me to it, I was literally going to say Jan 2nd 🤣

I like to be in December before I go full Mrs. Claus! Depending on the day of the week that December 1st falls, I normally put up our kitchen tree & bedroom trees then. It's a Wednesday this year so will probably wait until either the 2nd, when I have my Parental Leave day or else Saturday the 4th. We don't get our real tree until about a week before Christmas so we can sit in our sitting room without being fully immersed in Christmas for the whole month! Plus having two tree decorating days gives us more excitement! 😀

L1011

Mid November. But I've been back posting here for a few weeks, so I may be conning myself!

Used to judge by when I first had to do anything Christmas-related for work, which was nearly always mid November but Black Friday nonsense has pushed that back towards December in recent years.

Beechwoodspark

have to say we are very much Traditionalists in this house

for us it starts on first Sunday of Advent

beautiful season, quiet reflection leading up to the coming of our Lord - he’s the reason for the season

StevenToast

Christmas eve

Posy

I bet even Ray bloody Purchase celebrates before that.

For me, it's usually when the Christmas lights in the city are turned on. Even though I shop and plan from early September, that's when it gets 'real' for me. 🙂

Homelander

I don't judge others, whatever works for them, but for me I can't start to get into it until at least mid-December and don't get the real Christmas buzz until around the 20th.

Lord Spence

When Christmas Fm launches

TRS30

Interesting to read all the different trigger points people have to start the season.

Aisling(",)

I do my shopping and organising from October.

Christmas films start in mid November. Decorating usually the end of the first week in December because I have to do a deep clean before it .

I generally work Christmas Eve so if I was waiting for then for the buzz I'd feel a bit hard done by. We'd have our work night out around the 18th/19th usually and that always makes me feel the season but we're not back into the office till at least March so that'll be missed for the second year.

Smell the glove

December 1st ideally but whatever weekend is close to that date. This year we will put the tree up Saturday 27th November. Play the Christmas music while we are putting up the decorations and that for us is the start. Watch a film then on the Sunday. From then on the only music we will listen to will be Christmas music and the only films we will watch will be Christmas.

SarahLil

It probably hits me this is happening the week before the Toyshow as I get ready to decorate the house, I usually decorate the Tuesday before the Toyshow

Then the following weeks and days are shopping, preparing, wrapping, cleaning, tidying, Christmas movies at weekends, watching Christmas cooking shows, soaking up the atmosphere, meeting friends & family, decorating my Mams house (it seems a few of us have more than one decorating day here) and soaking up all the hype on here too.

does anyone have places they just have to visit that it’s just Christmas for them ? Well the run up to Christmas for me it’s a couple of things like visiting M50 Christmas shop in Coldwinters followed by a pub dinner, a potter around town soaking it all up admiring the lights

I also love to fit in a few turkey and ham dinners out too our local decorates the place beautifully and I am looking forward to visiting with my bambino and the cosy fire on in the background

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991615#Comment_117991615

I also love going to the local too for a lazy dinner, it's so nice. We went last year with the kids when they broke up for school and it was really quiet, the trees were lit, it was lovely, a really nice, relaxing start to the Christmas break. Am definitely going to try do the same this year.

DvB

One thing that definitely kicked off our Christmas feels last year (though I accept it was an odd year to say the least) was one Friday evening when I got home from work the Mrs told me to put on my coat & that we were all going for a walk. We spend the next hour walking around our area looking at all the amazing lights & decorations people had put up on their houses, it was a clear crisp night & pretty quiet at the time so it was magical & gave us a real buzz for the coming few weeks. I suspect we'll be doing that again this year too as so many of the houses are simply spectacular.

Day Lewin

For years I didn't get into that "mood" officially until Advent Sunday - last Sunday In November or first in December, depending - and I still like that sense of the "preparing" season, as @Beechwoodspark mentioned above.

But on the more mundane plane, I launch the Full Christmas Action Plan from the start of Christmas FM on the radio, or Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is the last Thursday in November, I believe. An American festival with a nice, warm, cheery focus on gratitude and family.

And I love celebrating festivals of any kind - from Burns Night in January, through Valentines in Feb, Paddy's Day in March etc right through to Thanksgiving in November; and as soon as that is over - Christmas is Go!

Fionne

Decorations go up on or after the 8th, come down on 6th January. One year, I put them up on Christmas Eve and took them down on St Stephen's Day - I had cats and the tree just kept being pulled to the floor umpteen times per day.

It's not a time of year I've ever been the biggest fan of, for many reasons. I have a week off work (business closes for the week) and to be honest, I'd rather work it and take the week in January or some other time of year instead. Call me a Grinch but it's often a long, long week, usually cash strapped after buying gifts for family, etc, weather isn't great and it just all feels a too much "forced happiness".

My favourite memory of Christmas was the first one after I'd moved out of home, sat on my own in my tiny attic flat with my little puny tree and the whole day to myself (well, after a courtesy visit to the family in the morning at least).

Christmas Day itself is far too hectic, my boyfriend refuses to come to my parents for dinner (he thinks it's just too much of a crowd - only my parents, and one brother & sister there 🤔) and my Mam expects me to be there to help her cook the dinner so for the last several years, I've gone to my parents, helped cook the dinner, serve the dinner, (I don't eat the actual dinner) do the washing up, then drive the 35min or so to my boyfriends and have Dinner Number 2 there. I've been tempted so many times to not go to either house and just please myself and sit at home having a nice lazy day to myself but I'm too prone to the guilts.

One year, my BF's late Mum cooked dinner and I'd been hungry earlier so had already had the full dinner at my parents (they eat theirs at 1 or 2pm) so when I got to my boyfriends Mum's for dinner at about 6pm, I was totally stuffed but couldn't insult her by not having any. It was like that Vicar of Dibley episode, I never felt so full or ill in my life. 🤢

Neyite

I prep early in the year, and think about Christmas related ideas for the entire year but that's not the season kicking off for us. I think for me it's when we get the tree. We get a real one so if we put it up too early, it's dead and shedding by Christmas. So roughly mid December things officially kick off. The Elf on the Shelf is probably earlier than that.

I actually don't go mad on gifts or expensive stuff. My siblings and I no longer bother with presents and when the niblings became too numerous to buy for, we reverted to buying only for the godchild. The only thing I hated about Christmas was last minute gift shopping but now, I know who I need to buy for, and all my gifts are online or click and collect long before the 23rd so if I am in the thick of panicked shoppers on Christmas eve, I'm not actually one of them. Even my partner who's last minute for everything, does it my way now. So that transformed Christmas for us.

Effects

1st of December

SarahLil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991671#Comment_117991671

Awh I love that,

Loughc

Another thread I wanted to wait for the laptop for haha.

For me about 10 years ago I would have said November 1st for sure but I always remember being let down badly for the first 2 weeks of November, it still seems so taboo to even mention Christmas and the TV adverts don't come flying in like the ought to.

Nowadays Christmas for me starts on the Toy Show day, I take that day off every year and transform the house haha. I have ChristmasFM blaring while doing so and a takeaway to top it all off that night. Sitting down that night by the glow of Christmas tree lights and candles is just the best feeling.

TRS30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118073433#Comment_118073433

A great tradition to pass on to Junior!

Littlehorny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118073433#Comment_118073433

Class post Loughc, love it 👍️

Pawwed Rig

Tree goes up on December 1st and comes down on new years day and the Xmas songs will start that evening when I'm putting the kids to bed.

Have most of the presents bought already though.

tscul32

Tree usually goes up the weekend closest to the 7th as that's our eldest's birthday. Baking should be well under way but with a puppy and Covid that's a bit behind. Will get cracking next week when I'm allowed in the kitchen again. But that's when the season starts for me, when the house smells of cinnamon and cloves 😁

Jude13

We have family visiting this November so will put up the tree with them 26th or 27th Nov and have a christmas dinner with them so we will not see them this Christmas.

TRS30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118096663#Comment_118096663

Nice, like having two Christmas’!

Jude13

That's the plan! Very busy work period but it will be a great time to be here. Lovely weather and loads of festive decorations.

They are bringing over a Limerick ham which is my favourite part of Christmas dinner.

Bought the other halfs Christmas present yesterday. Decided which of the two families to spend Christmas Day with. Won’t give it a second thought now til mid December. Then it’ll be food related and a present for my brother. No tree this year as we’ve moved house and are renovating so too much going on and stuff in the way.

Day Lewin

Now that Hallowe'en is done and dusted, that box of decorations goes back in the attic and I open up my Christmas jotter/list book/notebook.

Hmm, what should I be doing this week?

Into town to stock up on gift boxes, tissue paper, stocking fillers - and ideas!

Oh, and defrost the freezer.

So Christmas proper starts at beginning of December, but Christmas preparation starts on 1st of November - today!