By KIARA DONOFRIO– As Thanksgiving comes, Christmas is just around the corner.  Many families who celebrate this holiday debate whether they should put their tree up before or after Thanksgiving.  Families then develop traditions of when to find, buy, and place ornaments on the evergreen.

Some people choose to set up their tree before Thanksgiving.  Senior Taylor Weaver states, “In my family, we put it up in the first few weeks of November, but it makes more sense to me to put it up after Thanksgiving!  I like to decorate the tree closer to Christmas as a way of celebrating the holiday!” Younger people can always invent their own tradition when they are older and decide to change the time of when they put up their tree.

For a few, putting a Christmas tree up before Christmas Eve is considered back luck.  Not believing in this superstition, senior Kassidy Helman argued, “I’d say no, it is not bad luck because it’s preparing and being excited for the new season to start.  I think Christmas takes more time to prepare for because of all the presents you have to buy, decorating the house with lights, and finding the perfect tree.”  Kassidy and the Helman family put up their holiday conifer before Thanksgiving.

Others chose to put up their tree after Thanksgiving.  Senior Emma Cramer said, “I don’t think Christmas trees should be put up before Thanksgiving.  Christmas can’t be celebrated until the turkey is appreciated.”  Believing Thanksgiving needs to be appreciated first, Emma’s family decorates and puts their tree up after November.

Christmas is celebrated all over the world with different festivities going on.  Knowing when others put their trees up, persuades people to put theirs up near the same time.  This is important because it shows other individual’s opinions of when they want to put their trees up, before or after Thanksgiving.   

[Photo by Lauren Carloni]

Photo Caption: “Senior Lauren Carloni puts a miniature tree in her room before Thanksgiving. Her family waits until after November to put up their big tree in the family room.”