White trash
Jason and I put up our Christmas lights yesterday. I KNOW. (It was Jason’s idea, so blame him.)
Our reasons are valid, though. They consisted mostly of: Hey, we’re putting away all of our patio furniture and plant barrels and wooden benches, and the yard now looks all lonely and dead and sad (and oddly, much larger), and we’re both pretty busy with our jobs and whatnot, and there’s only a few more weekends until December anyway, and I have to work the day after Thanksgiving (our normal Decorate for Christmas Day) and it’s nice out, so let’s put up the Christmas lights.
Because we are not totally crazy, we only put up the outside lights in our backyard. Also, they are not on. Let me repeat: they are NOT on. That would be WRONG. Despite all of this, we both felt appropriately weird about the whole endeavor: There’s no snow, it’s 62 degrees out (20 degrees warmer than average) and we’re wearing flip flops.
On the plus side, I know we’ll both be so glad we did it now. Come November 26, chances are good that it’ll be two degrees out with a foot of snow, and I’d be much less inclined to put up with Jason’s Christmas-light-column-wrapping perfectionist tendencies. I’m also hoping it helps me with my Holiday Freakout, which occurs when there is a perfect storm of things happening at once, like having a massive work project due in the next month, multiple family get-togethers, two-hour snowy commutes, and all of the Christmas shopping. I want to reclaim my festive holiday mood where I feel happy and peaceful and excited about the holiday, rather than the mood that makes me want to spear Santa Claus at the mall. So I’m really glad we did this.
When do you typically put up your Christmas lights?
I don’t do outdoor lights, but I think putting them up while it’s still warm out is a great idea! And then you could leave them up until spring, and pretty soon they’d be up all year long and it would drive your neighbors nuts!
KIDDING. It’s a great idea.
Comment by RockyCat — November 8, 2010 @ 1:25 pm
The lights not being on makes up for the fact that they are up, in my opinion. We usually put ours up the weekend after Thanksgiving (which is also when we get our tree). Torsten is really looking forward to that because once the lights are up he is much less likely to drive past our house when coming home in the dark.
Comment by Jess — November 8, 2010 @ 1:30 pm
I think this is a fine idea. I have no idea when lights go on, as that is A.’s job and I gladly let him have it.
It has been crazy warm here, too! In the 60s! But, it is supposed to snow and stuff tomorrow, so I guess we will say by to our fall. But we had one! So crazy!
Comment by Artemisia — November 8, 2010 @ 1:33 pm
I’m too lazy to decorate the outside of my house for Christmas. Wait a second I’m even too lazy to decorate the inside of my house for Christmas. I think putting up the lights now is a brilliant idea. Especially in MN, doing it after Thanksgiving does sound like an adventure in cold, miserable, depressing-ness. So you are not white trash you are brilliant!
Comment by Emily — November 8, 2010 @ 2:59 pm
I’d say if they’re not on, they’re not wrong. ON I consider valid any time after Thanksgiving.
Comment by Swistle — November 8, 2010 @ 3:01 pm
I had to come out of hiding to tell you that I heard Christmas music on the radio on Halloween! I kid you not. So, having strung the lights in November sounds perfectly acceptable.
Comment by Sara — November 8, 2010 @ 4:00 pm
Whenever there is a “nice” weekend around Thanksgiving but they don’t go on until December. The neighbors behind us leave their Xmas lights up circling their deck all year round. Would not be so bad but they also leave them ON all year round. WTF?
Comment by Shelly — November 9, 2010 @ 7:43 am
considering i put lights up inside my house 2 years ago, then decided they should stay as a permanent decorating feature on my mantle, i am not one to talk. (they’re white lights. does that help?)
Comment by Alice — November 9, 2010 @ 8:38 am
growing up we waited until after my sisters december 12th birthday to do all decorating, i still kinda cling to that now…
Comment by jen — November 9, 2010 @ 10:19 am
When I’d LIKE to do decorating and when it ACTUALLY HAPPENS are two totally different time zones. Because I suffer from that Perfect Storm of HOliday Freakout EVERY YEAR, despite very different work circumstances now versus, say, three or four years ago. I just hate that what I’d LIKE (a wonderful, warm, fun, festive, perfectly decorated, and above all EASY GOING holiday) and what usually ends up happening (lots of last minute projects and late nights and crankiness and finally slapping a bunch of stuff together that I’d rather just hide in the closet instead of giving to my nearest and dear) are so totally different. Every year I promise that I’ll start earlier to avoid the freak out, and every year I have some kind of epic fail. Ugh.
And that was a long and very cranky comment. So sorry. It’s not even the middle of November and already I’m feeling like hiding in that closet.
Comment by Whimsy — November 9, 2010 @ 11:49 am
You have *got* to be kidding me. But, um, I don’t think you are.
While you’re out there, get those Easter eggs on the trees too!
Ellie
Comment by Ellie — November 10, 2010 @ 9:19 am
I’m the REAL white trash here, given my love of inflatables. DO IT FOR ME- I HAVE NO YARD!
Comment by slynnro — November 11, 2010 @ 10:47 pm