Christmas · My Thoughts

When Do You Put Up Your Christmas Tree?

Christmas tree

Many families have traditions that dictate when to put up the Christmas tree. Is earlier better? Right after Thanksgiving? How about Christmas Eve? When do you do it?

As a child, we put up our live tree we’d cut down off of our ranch around December 10th. As a family, we hunted for deer in October, walking the canyons and eyeing any possible tree and scoping them out. We always debated the size: Dad, my brother and I always wanted a big one. Mom wanted one to put on the coffee table.

Mom's size Christmas tree
Mom’s Size Christmas Tree. Photo by Oleg Zaicev from Pexels

When we moved into our new home in 1967, my brother and Dad selected the tree. This house had a higher ceiling, so they went for big—REALLY TALL! When they brought it into the house and the top curled over, they had to cut it off! What I remember is the delicious smell of a fresh cut tree!

As an adult, any time I came home for Thanksgiving, we would cut down trees the weekend after Thanksgiving. I love live, fresh trees! So, I decided the earlier I put it up the better! I usually put up my tree the first week of December. That gave me more time to enjoy it and all the decorations.

Photo by Nick Collins from Pexels

For several years I spent Thanksgiving away from home, so I bought live trees off of lots in Albuquerque. It shocked me how dry they were! To my horror, I found out they had been cut down months before. I realized I couldn’t put up that dead tree and be safe for a month, like usual. That forced us to buy an artificial tree!

Then, I returned to putting it up the first week of December and that has been my habit ever since! And yes, we have an artificial tree. I miss the smell of a piñon pine and the fun of cutting down a tree off of our family ranch, but we have decided artificial is the way to go for now.

Our Christmas Tree
Our Christmas Tree 2020

For certain, it’s a personal choice! I love everything about a Christmas tree! Grab a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie. Turn off the lights and turn on your favorite Christmas music. Soak up the warmth of a lit Christmas tree! And make memories!

When do you put yours up? Is yours live or artificial? Why?


~Visit my two blog posts from last week:

Book Cover of Just Another Square Dance Caller

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