The Safe Hazen is officially giving you permission to put your Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving. 

You’re welcome!

Before you go nuts on me, take a deep breath; it’ll be okay.  I get it.  At our house it has always been a no-no to begin the Christmas adornment and festivities before Thanksgiving.  My husband always says, “It’s not fair to Thanksgiving!” and I don’t disagree.  All of that would be well and good if someone hadn’t decided that there would be only 4-5 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Who decided that?  Obviously, it was not a woman. 

Actually, Thanksgiving isn’t fair to Christmas!  Christmas was first declared a celebration 400 years after the birth of Christ.  Pope Julius I chose the date of December 25 in order to align with pagan celebrations of the time that took place at or around the winter solstice (December 21); thereby ensuring its adoption and success as a celebration. For this and other interesting tidbits about the evolution of Christmas read here.

Thanksgiving was initially celebrated by the North American pilgrims during their first harvest in 1681; roughly 1,300 years after Christmas was established on December 25.  So, I think it is fair to say that the establishment of the Thanksgiving celebration actually infringed on or shortened the amount of time during which one could prepare for and begin to “observe” Christmas!   Insert a deep sigh and an eye-roll here.  It would have been much more convenient for us modern folk if the autumn harvest could have been celebrated in the spring!  But I digress.

The Christmas season just isn’t quite long enough!  I am not condoning year-round Christmas or suggesting you put up your tree in July, but I do wish there were a few more weeks to complete the task of putting it all up, enjoying it immensely, and then taking it all down!  Gone are the days we hear baby boomers talk about; where, as children, they walked out to the woods with their dads on Christmas Eve, bringing home a fresh cut tree, to be trimmed in an evening and taken down again in a few days.  And Pa, and Ma, and Mary, and Laura, and baby Carrie each opened one gift (wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string).  Amen.

Lordy, no.  In 2019 we feel compelled to hoist a 12-foot tree on a stand (5 weeks before Santa’s decent down the chimney), then proceed to adorn it with treasures we have spent no less than 100 hours carefully sourcing, which have been stored in at least 20 boxes out in the shed since last Christmas!  Let’s haul all of that in the house and make merry!

And make merry we will!  We really will!  But sometimes it takes a herculean effort!  For better or worse, the holidays have become a complex undertaking of decking the halls, shopping, baking, and attending party after party!  As we strive to create and maintain more and more beloved traditions, and further blend those with the traditions of extended family, we often find ourselves caught in a whirlwind; leaving us wondering “Where is this elusive peace that comes with Christmas?”

Therefore, I submit to you that one way to reduce stress during the holidays, is to adopt a less rigid mindset about the Thanksgiving-Christmas transition.  Maybe they don’t have to be mutually exclusive?

Let’s Ease into the Holidays.  Over the past few years I have begun to allow myself some flexibility in blending Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I know.  Once again, it’s not fair to Thanksgiving; but it helps me find balance and keep my sanity.  And you know the old saying, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

I have begun to adopt a new mindset that it is okay not to staunchly separate Thanksgiving and Christmas, but to blend them into what I now think of as the “Holiday Season.” Bless us one and all.

Usher in the Holidays in Increments.

I start by allowing myself to listen to holiday music a week or two before Thanksgiving… but only in acoustic form!  My favorite is Pandora Christmas Jazz Radio.  It’s oh so in-the-background and not too in-your-face, too soon!

If you still send Christmas cards (please do!), purchase them and prepare them before Thanksgiving; have them ready for mailing before the Turkey arrives, and send them out immediately after Thanksgiving… let your card be the first your friends and family receive, ushering in the holidays for all!  Something as labor intensive (and expensive) as the preparation and mailing of Christmas cards may just be tossed aside if left too late in the season (when you are likely swimming up-stream in the middle of 50 things you thought you could accomplish, but are finding that you under estimated!) … So, go on and get those Christmas cards ready for the mail prior to Thanksgiving… it will get you warmed up for the holiday mood, and take a big piece of work off your plate in advance.

A Shameless Plug for Sending Paper Holiday Cards in the Mail.

In today’s lightning speed digital world of communication, it is such a joy to receive a paper sentiment in the mail!  There is anticipation in opening the envelope, and a spark of joy at the sentiment and artwork on the card.  And then there’s the hand-written inscription from the sender, which lets you know that you are loved and were thought of in advance… and that the sender cared enough about you to go to the trouble of choosing the card, signing the card, and affixing your name and address to the envelope.  Although the sale of holiday greeting cards had taken a dive with the advent of ecards and digital sentiments, they are on the rise again.  This is likely a result of the impersonal and cheap way that digital communication leaves you feeling as a recipient. 

This year was the first time I put the Christmas tree up prior to Thanksgiving.  Once I was over the it’s-too-early angst, it was quite liberating!  Our tree is a 12-foot monster!  An artificial tree complete with thousands of pre-strung twinkle lights.  It takes a full three days for a team of able-bodied family members to raise and decorate it!  After a few years of putting this particular monster tree up on the traditional weekend of Thanksgiving, and then taking it down before New Year’s Day, I finally came to the conclusion that it was just too much work for such a short enjoyance period!  (Yes, I just made that word up! ) … so, I am okay with setting aside the guilt associated with a lifetime of “It’s not fair to Thanksgiving” to enjoy the gorgeous monstrosity for an extra week or two!

Timing is everything.  I realize you may not belong to the tribe of artificial-tree’ers.  You may be staunchly in the camp of live tree’ers!  If this is the case, it may not pay to put your live tree up too soon.  One Christmas, thirty years ago (when I still belonged to the purist group of live tree’ers), I put our tree up on the day after Thanksgiving, and the needles proceeded to turn brown, and the thing died well before Christmas Eve!  Oh, my stars!  There was no way to un-decorate it, buy a new one and re-decorate it!  That was the last year I was in the camp of live tree’ers.  Obviously, I had not purchased my live tree from a reputable Christmas tree purveyor; but even if you do, putting up a live tree too soon may prove unwise.  That does not mean you cannot get a jump on some other aspect of Christmas prep.  Adorn your fireplace mantel, trim the stair railing, or whatever else you may do to adorn your home for Christmas. 

There is family to consider.  Where does your family gather for the Thanksgiving festivities?  We gather at the home of my parents, so I can easily “sneak” and put up our tree at my home prior to Thanksgiving, and no one is the wiser!  I don’t have to worry about the backlash of Thanksgiving sympathizers that might transpire with a Christmas tree looking over their shoulders at the Thanksgiving dinner table.  We don’t necessarily want a tug-o-war!

I realize it is wise to be sensitive to the ebb and flow of your extended family… but perhaps you’ll have more converts than you think if you take the lead and set the example.  Not to mention, there will likely be some folks in the Turkey crowd who’ll secretly breathe a sigh of relieve in knowing that you will not be enlisting them to assist in hoisting and decorating the monster the following day (or multiple days!) …

Blend the tangible elements of Thanksgiving and Christmas by displaying and using both at the same time to ease the transition.  I am not suggesting that you mix pilgrim figurines and orange pumpkins with red-and-green-clad elves and reindeer (may it never be!).  But you may have some less-divergent decorative items that you can blend together.  For example, I have a lovely set of white, pumpkin-shaped, ceramic soup bowls and a tureen from Williams and Sonoma that I like to use throughout the holiday season. 

(I mean, I am not finished having soup just because Thanksgiving has come and gone!)  Given that my soup set is white, is blends nicely with whatever Christmas holiday colors and theme I am into each year.

This is especially easy to do if your Christmas theme embraces neutral colors, earth tones, or elements of nature.   For the past few years I have gone with chartreuse green and burnt orange/brown for our Christmas theme.  I use grape vine garland, bird nests, silk artichokes and all manner of floral twigs and blossoms!  So it is easy for me to blend and transition from Thanksgiving into Christmas…

Start early, by just putting up the tree; leaving the remainder of the house and yard adornment till after Turkey Day.  Maybe you just start by putting the tree up prior to Thanksgiving and leave the rest of the holiday house trimming for after Thanksgiving… after all, the tree is likely the biggest part of the holiday adornment, and it will be out of the way.  Not to mention, it will lend a comforting glow to the Thanksgiving festivities.

Perhaps by bringing Christmas into the mix a little sooner, we can allow Thanksgiving to linger a little longer.

I’d love to give Thanksgiving festivities a little more “due.”  After all, I have heard family members say that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday, simply because it doesn’t contain the pressure and hurried, frantic nature of Christmas preparation.  But, alas, many of us feel pressured to get out the Christmas decorations as soon as the Thanksgiving table is cleared away! There’s too much pressure to hurry up and get it all up so the holidays may begin! 

However, if the tree is already up prior to Turkey Day, then maybe we can extend the Thanksgiving festivities a little more.  Let’s linger over football games and turkey sandwiches for a few days!  Let’s sit quietly with our out-of-town guests and usher in the holiday season with some long overdue fireside coffee conversations!    Have another piece of pumpkin pie.  Enjoy.