Americans are divided on decorating for Christmas before or after Thanksgiving


The holiday season is a wonderful time of the year to decorate the home. With Daylight Saving Time the first week in November and much of the country going darker earlier, some may feel it’s the perfect time to display pretty lights for family, friends and neighbors to enjoy.

From dining room table centerpieces, to trimmings on the fireplace mantle, to adding some sparkle to the trees, many Americans around the country love to decorate and spread holiday cheer early.

Some shoppers start purchasing holiday furnishings as early as August, Fox News Digital previously reported.

“Once the stores have Christmas decor out, I’m either buying, searching or dreaming of it,” Nicole Romanini, wife and mother of two in Cleveland, told Fox News Digital.

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While most people wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, some are too excited to hold back and begin the day after Halloween.

“After Halloween is just too early,” Maria Revello, a Clevelander and avid lover of the entire holiday season, told Fox News Digital. “I’m all for the Christmas cheer but Nov. 1 is still fall, y’all.”

Revello says Christmas decor doesn’t come up in her home until Black Friday.

“I’m obsessed with my mantle and light-up pumpkins. My entire mantle looks like it’s out of a Thanksgiving Day magazine,” Revello said. “The minute that clock hits midnight, though, it’s Santa’s workshop in here.”

The holiday season is a favorite time for families to be near one another and celebrate another year around the sun.

When is the most popular time to decorate for the holidays?

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The most popular time to decorate for the holidays is the day after Thanksgiving.

While it is the consensus of Americans to wait until after Thanksgiving, some choose to decorate from early to mid-November. Thanksgiving, following a typically home-cooked meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and more, is also a day when some families fill their rooms with decor. 

While a vast majority of Americans surveyed through the years have chosen to decorate sometime in November, it is plenty popular to wait until early December or even the week before a holiday.

How much do people spend on holiday decor?

This will depend on how big and bold — or not — people want to go. For a few in-house pieces that can really light up a home, Americans spend between $20 and $40, according to reports.

For those who enjoy splurging just a little more, Americans are spending between $80 and $100 on household holiday furnishings.

Revello, however, spends between $200 and $300 annually on new decor for the holiday season, though, she maintains she has toned it down in the last few years.

“I’m a nut,” she said.

Americans spend billions on Christmas trees alone every year, and the cost only seems to be rising. However, many people feel Christmas trees are a staple of their holiday decor and are willing to spend a bit more to have a real one.

Many celebrities, of course, tend to include everything from fresh floral arrangements to enormous winter wonderlands throughout the house. Some celebrities hire interior designers yearly to decorate from floor to ceiling.

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When do people want to see holiday decorations?

Market research firm YouGov in a recent survey narrowed down the most popular time to dress up your homes. (iStock)

In Victorian times, it was traditionally acceptable to put up Christmas trees on Christmas Eve. 

However, Christmas lovers have squashed that sentiment and are putting up decor as early as the day after Halloween; nearly half of Americans surveyed said they agreed with that.

“I love my Christmas tree lit up as the only light on when it’s close to bedtime as a nice, calming way to end the day.”

Romanini’s husband, Jeff Romanini, however, isn’t as keen on decorating early, which makes for a house divided. 

He told Fox, “It’s annoying!”

While he prefers to give Thanksgiving its own space and time, she loves to decorate early to lengthen Christmas celebrations for the kids.

“Being a mom is the most rewarding thing and being able to relive Christmas with them makes it even better,” Romanini said.

While the day after Thanksgiving is the most popular time for holiday decorating, Americans have said they’re most comfortable seeing festive decorations throughout the month of November, according to a YouGov survey.

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For some, the month of December is not long enough to be full of holly-jolly holiday spirit. The season is a time for millions of people to remember wonderful times from their childhood. Experts have said decorating early is a spirit booster and triggers pleasant memories.

“It makes people feel good, so they want to start celebrating as early as possible,” said psychotherapist Amy Morin, as Fox News Digital previously noted.

How common is decorating the exterior of homes for the holidays?

Americans decorate their yards or the exterior of their homes for the holidays. (iStock)

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One of the most magical parts of the holiday season is the exterior decor on the outside of homes and businesses.

“I’ve got the multicolor lights on the border of the house,” Revello said. “I put big ornaments hanging from my trees, ornaments and big lights in the entryway and Rudolph is stationed in the front yard.”

She also incorporates a sign that reads “Santa, stop here” in the front to ensure he makes time for her house and arrives with lots of presents.

“My fiance thinks I’m a little crazy for the amount of decor I have and the time it takes,” said Revello. “But in the end, he thinks it looks great and brings a festive feel to the house.”

A recent YouGov survey found that four in 10 Americans will decorate their yards or the exterior of their homes for the holidays.

People across the U.S. continue to revel in the tradition of drive-through Christmas lights. Some of the largest, most sparkly light attractions from city to city are at local zoos.

Huge attractions like Disney and the Las Vegas strip also decorate their exteriors for the holiday season every year. 

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Disney uses 8.5 million lights across all attractions and Cinderella Castle alone is covered in 200,000 twinkling lights, according to Trip Savvy. 

The stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is a festive explosion of holiday cheer from thousands of icicle lights and ornaments to sky-high trees and scheduled snowfalls. 

The Venetian’s 65-foot tree display is decked out in 50,000 lights, and the Bellagio is covered in tens of thousands of poinsettias, according to Canyon Tours.

Cortney Moore of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.

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