When do yall start pulling out the decorations

[caseydbell]

I know I've probably asked this before, but I just turned on "It's begining to look alot like christmas" on the jingle jukebox so I thought Id ask three ?'s

1. When do you pull out your decorations
2. When do you put up inside decorations
3. When do you put up outside decorations.

(Go into lot's of detail If you would like I love to hear stuff like this)
:cool: :yahoo:

[HomeLights]

Pull out - day after Black friday
Put up - that weekend
Pull down - 2nd weekend in January

[digbugsgirl]

Pull out and put up - Black Friday (except tree)

Tree goes up and gets decorated that Saturday.

[mrshfromjersey]

And we still have some Christmas stuff up

[AuntieMistletoeDear]

1. When do you pull out your decorations

Actually I leave a few things in secret places around our place to glance at when I need a boost of Christmas cheer. Sometimes I take that Sax-Playing Santa out of his box and turn it on (sorry O'Malley - the cat doesn't like electronic things) and I drink out of Christmas mugs on the 24th & 25th of each month, I also place Christmas hand towels in the bathroom from time to time.

2. When do you put up inside decorations

The first weekend in December, but last year I couldn't decorate as much, mainly in the Master Bedroom because our cat was too curious and destructive for my liking.

3. When do you put up outside decorations.

Usually the weekend before or following the indoor decorations. I'm likely going to put them up in mid-Novemeber this year on a day when the weather is fair because it's hard to predict the weather in December and sometimes it gets too cold to handle them.

[MarthaK]

I start collecting new items for the outdoor and indoor displays each spring. So, I have items out and around most of the year. There are also items around here and there (like curio cabinets) that were never put away.

Now, so that folks know what I'm talking about here, I have about 30,000+ outdoor lights (running about 150 amps) that I set up each year...alone. So, I try to get to work early on setting them up. I aim for that short period of time when the weather is cool, but not rainy, and most of the leaves have fallen. Playing with electricity and climbing ladders in the rain is not fun, nor is it recommended.

Outdoor display:
*The official pull out of the outdoor decorations starts in September, cleaning blowmolds, assuring all lights are working, etc.

*I start putting outdoor lights up in mid-October. I start with the lights in the trees and higher reaches, working to the bushes. As it gets closer to Thanksgiving week I start setting out the animated wireframes, and the plastic blowmolds are the last out. This is mostly a weekend project, with the week before Thanksgiving being dedicated (vacation time off work) to setting it all up, plugging it in, and balancing the electrical load.

*The lights go on Thanksgiving night, about the time folks are on their second helping of pie.

Indoor display in picture window seen from outside:
This includes various vintage decorations, motion figures, Dept 56 pieces and the Target Brand Bedford Falls from "It's A Wonderful Life."

*I start pulling things out in July.

*I start setting up in September. I try to have the village completed over the Columbus Day weekend, since I need to start work on the outside.

*These go on Thanksgiving night with the outdoor display.

As for "normal" indoors:
*Lighted garlands and wreaths are up for Thanksgiving Day
The Christmas linens, kitchen/bath items, Christmas trees both live and artificial, etc. All come out the weekend after Thanksgiving.

So you see, I'm not TOTALLY crazy! I remember the days when I put up my outdoor decorations on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving and thought I had a lot of decorations...LOL.

:cool:

[Misfit Toy]

About a week after Halloween, takes me a while to get it all done and then the outside by the Santa Claus Parade :cool:

[elfworks]

martha... i think i love you.


xo

[joyful]

My outside decorations go up while the weather is pleasant (nothing worse then trying to decorate with your fingers frozen). But I do not turn on the outside lights until the weekend after Thanksgiving day. My inside lights etc. go up the following Monday (first day of Buck season here).

:grin:

[MarthaK]

Oh bother!
Just when I thought I had the indoor display in the picture window all planned out, I go to Sears and see the Department 56 "The Christmas Story" set. I bought EVERYTHING.....(I hate having to hunt down stray pieces on eBay). Now, where am I going to put it when I deck the halls?! Oh well, Fa-rah-rah-rah-rah!

[Ervserver]

soon as the Halloween stuff comes down the xmas stuff goes up.

I always check sets of lights as I take them down, check the wires, change bulbs, etc thus they are ready to go for the next season.

[dominick]

I like to start out small with some of my wood projects and general garage oriented decoration repair/construction as soon as it starts getting cold (generally in October). Little things start going up end of October/early November, and the tree comes up right after Thanksgiving. The outside stuff greatly depends on the current climate.

-Tony

[Ervserver]

How do you store your wooden stuff so they don't absorb moisture and warp?

[dominick]

So far I haven't come up with a fool proof way of doing so. It's a fact of life around here that stuff is going to get damaged and will have to be pulled from circulation, but if it didn't I'd have enough decorations for three houses. Surprisingly enough, though, I haven't had a huge problem with swelling or warping, even with the particle board. They're just stored flat (or upright if they have a stand) up in the attic.

[Ervserver]

I don't havea perfect way either. Now I store everything in the basement where I run a dehumidifier during the humid months. I've not had much damage happen but storing some of the larger stuff takes up a lot of room