If you want to start a good holiday debate, ask a friend when the best time is to put up the Christmas tree. The answer is usually quite personal and is typically related to when the tree was put up in the home of that person’s parents. Makes sense.
But in this seemingly growing world of anti-Christmas sentiment, do people still put up Christmas trees? The answer is an astounding yes. According to a survey from ValuePenguin, four in five Americans intend to have at least one Christmas tree in their home.
So back to the original question: When should a tree be put up?
When struggling with important questions like this, I turn to household guru Martha Stewart. She says the average evergreen lasts roughly four to six weeks from its harvest date, with some exceptions. To play it safe, Stewart says you should put up your tree in early December if you hope to keep it through the month.
Of course, that’s if you have a “real” tree. Those of us with the artificial option can put them up on the Fourth of July, if we so choose.
Jolene and I put up our artificial tree and interior decorations this past weekend — the earliest we have ever done so. It’s nice to have those tasks completed, and the house does have that holiday feel to it now. That’s good, because we can now begin to work on the family Christmas letter. Sigh.
Christmas trees were traditionally put up to mark the beginning of Advent, a time of celebration anticipating the birth of Jesus. Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas day, so it falls on Nov. 27 this year. But if you look back to the Victorians, who popularized the Christmas tree, they didn't put up trees until Dec. 22 or even Dec. 24. There is even a Catholic superstition that says it is bad luck to put up a tree before Dec. 1, which may explain the number of injuries. Yes, there are apparently a large number of accidents that happen when putting up Christmas trees. According to the aforementioned ValuePenguin survey, the percentage of people who said they’ve suffered injuries from their Christmas trees is 20%. One in five. Seriously.
My dad had the best solution. In his later years, he decided to simplify the Christmas tree installation process. He had a small tree with lights and decorations that he covered with a large garbage bag and put in storage each January. The next year, with a magician’s touch, he simply brought the tree out and pulled off the bag. Ta-da! After Thanksgiving. No injuries. Enough said. Martha Stewart may not have approved, but Dad did. And that’s good enough for me.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com | 
