Families have started dragging out their Christmas trees and unpacking boxes of ornaments. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” echoes for miles. The smell of cookies and warmth from the fireplace drifts throughout every house.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year—except it’s not even December.

Christmas decorating is starting too early. It should begin after Thanksgiving. 

However, it’s only the second week of November and many houses are already decorated waiting for Santa to visit.  

According to a survey by YouGov, of the 2,748 adults surveyed who celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, 27% of people put up their decorations before Thanksgiving.

It’s unnecessary to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a national holiday that is widely celebrated each year.  Some people decorate for Thanksgiving, but definitely not as much as for Christmas. 

I understand why many jump the gun to decorate early.  

But it’s a little odd to have Thanksgiving dinner with Christmas decorations around the house.  

Pushing back the decorate date might help with this situation. But unfortunately, it seems as though people start decorating earlier each year.

According to an article released in 2015 by Cision PR Newswire, 26% of Americans decorated before or in early November.  This percentage has since increased to 43%, according to ABC6.

And if we continue to follow this trend, people will start decorating before the first of November next year.  Christmas was never meant to be celebrated this early. The month of November should be a time to celebrate Thanksgiving and the fall season. 

According to National World, Christmas trees are traditionally put up and decorated at the start of Advent.  This year the first Sunday of Advent is Nov. 28.

This is a great time to put up decorations.  It is the weekend after Thanksgiving and if you have family visiting they can help decorate as well. 

I’m all for bright Christmas lights and trees tied with tinsel, but maybe we should hold back the holiday cheer for a couple more weeks.  Let Thanksgiving have its time in the spotlight, then you can empty out the boxes of Christmas decorations from the attic.