Years ago, a friend posted a picture of her fully decorated Christmas tree…in September.
But it wasn’t decorated for Christmas.
It was covered in leaves, pinecones, orange, red, and yellow ornaments, and other fall-themed trinkets. It was gorgeous, and I thought it was a cool idea.
Since then, I’ve noticed more people giving their Christmas trees an entire autumn wardrobe. First comes fall, then Halloween, then Thanksgiving, before they finally decorate for the main event.
And honestly, you could skip all of that and go straight to the Christmas decor. It’s your house, your rules. But head over to Pinterest or TikTok, and you’ll find a gazillion ideas for decorating a Christmas tree for the fall season. Some of them are so fun!
Do We Love This Idea?
In someone else’s house? Yes.
In my house? I don’t think so.
I get the appeal. Walking in after a long day of work and seeing a decorated tree can bring instant joy. Those twinkling lights make the house feel warm and cozy when it starts getting dark earlier, and I can’t help but get a little excited for Christmas…even if it’s still a way off.
Practical Me Has Questions
First, isn’t it a big dust collector? Am I supposed to wipe down each little pumpkin and pinecone? I don’t need another chore on my to-do list.
And if you have a cat, you’ll be trying to keep it out of that tree for three months instead of one. That’s a pretty long commitment to yelling, “Get out of there!”
Then there are the decorations. Swapping ornaments for fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas could get expensive. My Christmas bins already take up enough room. Where am I supposed to store another tub or two?
And who’s doing all this redecorating? Putting up one tree, decorating it once, and eventually taking it down is already a big job, and not one I necessarily enjoy.
Not to mention, by the time Christmas rolls around, are you still excited about the tree, or are you ready to drag the whole thing back into storage?
I feel like I’d get Christmas tree burnout.
We usually put ours up the day after Thanksgiving. By the day after Christmas, I’m ready to get all that festive clutter out of the house and get back to normal.
I Am Not A Grinch
I love Christmas decorations. I’m just apparently not festive enough to give my tree four outfit changes before Santa gets here.
So I’ll admire your fall tree, your Halloween tree, and your Thanksgiving tree. I might even save a few pictures and briefly convince myself I could do it, too.
But for now, my tree is staying in storage until after Thanksgiving.
What about you? Is a tree for every holiday worth the extra work, or is one round of decorating enough?