have you started decorating yet?

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Sunshine

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When do you decorate your place? is it too early?
It takes me about 4 weeks to get everything up and just the way I want it. I want to be able to enjoy afterwards so I don't want to wait too long and then have to take it all back down again.
We are on the Christmas tour the first weekend of Dec so I'm thinking I better not wait any longer than this weekend.
What do your guests expect? this is our FIRST christmas as a B&B. Our guest so far have all said they bet it is beautiful at christmas and want to come see it when its decorated.
 
Do you mind sharing which state you are in?? It seems like it would be a bit too early yet. I don't have a B&B, but I am having a Christmas Party the first Saturday of December so I will start decorating my house the day after Thanksgiving and get our tree sometime that weekend.
 
I have fall decor out. Which I will until after Thanksgiving. I have "the horn" on the table as DH calls it, the Cornucopia with fall leaves around it.
 
I usually did my decorating on Thanksgiving weekend. We sometimes had an open house the first or second week of Dec. it was alot of work and we only did it 2 years after that...I said no. We closed the B &B from mid Nov till Feb. IT slowed down so much that it wasn't worth it to be open for us.
 
I think it depends on the mood of the area and the mood of the house. Can you start by festively decorating it and adding some a little bit at a time until the beginning of Dec? If you are farther north, it really does seem like the holiday season 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Farther south, it is still mid autumn.
I am in the middle and it starts to feel like winter around here in mid January...not a good time to put up Christmas decorations ;) Sometimes we have snow for Christmas, most times we don't.
If your area is Victorian, you might be able to pull of the "festive" without being Christmas-y
 
I agree penelope! It depends on the area, climate, type of b&b and type of decorations.
I saw holiday lights out at a shopping center in town on Monday--the white ones so they're just "wintry" and not specifically Christmas. I was surprised, but I think the white ones on bare trees are just so beautiful.
Could you start with white lights that some B&Bs have up year-round anyway, then add candles and that sort of thing? Trees, wreaths and garlands should wait until after Thanksgiving, I think. Thanksgiving always gets overlooked!
I know an innkeeper who has a tree-decorating party for guests and family who stay at their place over Thanksgiving. Happens Friday afternoon, I think. The guests just mill around with hot cocoa and watch, or do the lower ornaments.
 
I think it depends on the mood of the area and the mood of the house. Can you start by festively decorating it and adding some a little bit at a time until the beginning of Dec? If you are farther north, it really does seem like the holiday season 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Farther south, it is still mid autumn.
I am in the middle and it starts to feel like winter around here in mid January...not a good time to put up Christmas decorations ;) Sometimes we have snow for Christmas, most times we don't.
If your area is Victorian, you might be able to pull of the "festive" without being Christmas-y.
penelope said:
I think it depends on the mood of the area and the mood of the house. Can you start by festively decorating it and adding some a little bit at a time until the beginning of Dec? If you are farther north, it really does seem like the holiday season 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Farther south, it is still mid autumn.
I am in the middle and it starts to feel like winter around here in mid January...not a good time to put up Christmas decorations ;) Sometimes we have snow for Christmas, most times we don't.
If your area is Victorian, you might be able to pull of the "festive" without being Christmas-y
If you hold events there then decorate early as well. Example - dang has it been a year already?...the example is our "Come home to a Victorian Christmas" this is early. end of Nov some years, so everyone needs to be decorated. The Chirstmas Tree lighting in front of the courthouse is end of Nov. Or if you have get togethers, luncheons, clubs etc at your place. Or an open house for the town, etc.
I am hanging on til after Thanksgiving, mainly because I don't know how much decorating I am going to do this year. I have 10 room nights booked over Thanksgiving, so I cannot do it before then.
 
We have a town-wide event in Dec, that's when I decorate, just before that weekend. We may get the lights out now because it's warm.
 
our entire town is historic. Our neighborhood is on the historic register and we all will be on the tour the first weekend of Dec. We are very victorian.
Traditionally we have added the white lites to the garland on the fireplaces before thanksgiving, but this year we have 'strictly fall' garland with fall leaves, pinecones, sunflowers etc..
We have always cut our main big tree the day after Thanksgiving.
Our neighbors have started to decorate. There are several shops downtown that have already begun decorating and have christmas items in them and the christmas cottage store will open Nov 14th.
guess I'll really have to think about how much time it will take and what time i have. We do still work full time besides the B&B.
Thanks for your input....
 
My wife and my daughter share a birthday at the end of November (this year it happens to be Thanksgiving), and my wife's sister's birthday is the next day. We were always careful as my daughter was growing up that her birthday not get lost in Christmas, so the rule in our house NO Christmas until after the birthdays. If I ever WHEN I get opened, I'll continue that same tradition.
 
My wife and my daughter share a birthday at the end of November (this year it happens to be Thanksgiving), and my wife's sister's birthday is the next day. We were always careful as my daughter was growing up that her birthday not get lost in Christmas, so the rule in our house NO Christmas until after the birthdays. If I ever WHEN I get opened, I'll continue that same tradition..
IronGate said:
My wife and my daughter share a birthday at the end of November (this year it happens to be Thanksgiving), and my wife's sister's birthday is the next day. We were always careful as my daughter was growing up that her birthday not get lost in Christmas, so the rule in our house NO Christmas until after the birthdays. If I ever WHEN I get opened, I'll continue that same tradition.
Hey, me too...birthday-wise that is...same day as your SIL. Sometimes, it's on T-Day for me.
 
Our town starts all the Christmas festivities the day after Thanksgiving, but I really hate to put them up before Thanksgiving. I usually do the outside decorations around the door on the Friday after. Some years we've had a party with friends and any kids around decorate the tree (I just have to do a little adjusting afterwards). Having guests participate if they want is a good idea - maybe we'll do that on Friday afternoon as a precursor to the tree lighting downtown. It would make me get it done, then I can decorate the rest of the house after the weekend.
 
our entire town is historic. Our neighborhood is on the historic register and we all will be on the tour the first weekend of Dec. We are very victorian.
Traditionally we have added the white lites to the garland on the fireplaces before thanksgiving, but this year we have 'strictly fall' garland with fall leaves, pinecones, sunflowers etc..
We have always cut our main big tree the day after Thanksgiving.
Our neighbors have started to decorate. There are several shops downtown that have already begun decorating and have christmas items in them and the christmas cottage store will open Nov 14th.
guess I'll really have to think about how much time it will take and what time i have. We do still work full time besides the B&B.
Thanks for your input.....
You know, if everyone else in your town is doing it, you may as well go with the flow (esp if it makes your life easier!).
I haven't seen much decoration here yet, so 1 B&B all decked out on its own would be a little odd. But if that's the norm where you are, then go ahead and capitalize on it!
There's probably a reason they all start so early (and the Dec decorations are always a great attraction).
 
I usually put my outdoor display up any "nice day" I can get from middle if Nov on. Tree goes up a week before Christmas. Am undecided about this year though. My two oldest grandsons will be here Friday for the weekend. It would be nice to have Christmas with them - with the tree. And also to get the outside stuff up while I have their muscle. I have lready scheduled a mattress turning before they leave.
 
Our sons were here last Thanksgiving to help put the lights on the outside of the house... we outlined the 2nd story windows and roof line. They can't be here this year, so we'll have to beg some friends to help out. We hope to have it all put together by the end of the 1st week of Dec. We were in a Tour of Homes last year... but not this year.
 
I like to try to get the outside lights up when it's warm out, even if I don't turn them on.
The rest will depend on guests and Thanksgiving plans (both up in the air just now). When we go away for Thanksgiving I would like to decorate before we leave so it's all done when we come back. But it doesn't seem right to have it up at Thanksgiving, so the inside stuff gets done as soon afterward as I can swing it.
=)
Kk.
 
Thanksgiving weekend..
That sounds like a good time for me! I should have that Thursday and Friday off of work and time to unpack. I'll put lights up but won't turn them on yet.
RIki
 
My wife and my daughter share a birthday at the end of November (this year it happens to be Thanksgiving), and my wife's sister's birthday is the next day. We were always careful as my daughter was growing up that her birthday not get lost in Christmas, so the rule in our house NO Christmas until after the birthdays. If I ever WHEN I get opened, I'll continue that same tradition..
IronGate said:
If I ever WHEN I get opened...
That's the spirit. Good attitude!!! :)
 
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