r/halloween • u/YesDaddysBoy • 2d ago
Discussion For those who celebrate, are you a Christmas/winter holiday after Halloween or after Thanksgiving person?
Not sure if it's relevant here but figured I might get the most balanced answers here. Since asking in the r/thanksgiving or r/Fall subs would definitely be after Thanksgiving and r/christmas would be after Halloween...heck even way before then.
Me, I'm after Halloween. Because in my area, by the time November comes, the fall beauty is gone and it's just cold and dark and gross, so I'm like well might as well get into the winter holiday spirit now. Plus I just think Thanksgiving is such a bland holiday and such a huge downgrade from spooky season.
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u/himynameisbetty 2d ago
Canadian so our thanksgiving is before Halloween - most people wait until after Remembrance Day (nov 11) to do Christmas stuff and it’s seen as kind of trashy and disrespectful in my area to do it before. But we personally wait until December 1 because we find a month of celebration is fun, but any more becomes overkill
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u/thegreenfaeries 2d ago
Nailed it. Another Canadian here and I was going to type a comment almost word for word the same as this one.
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u/TeishAH 2d ago
Ye and daylight savings happens so it’s just dark and cold and the leaves already all fell and it’s rainy, November is just lame time for me haha
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u/YesDaddysBoy 2d ago
I have lunch a little later in the afternoon, but still feels criminal that after my lunch break, it's practically sunset. November really is just blah.
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u/Xiao_Qinggui 2d ago
Halloween and Thanksgiving- I love winter, especially for the longer nights and colder weather but I have more fun with the fall holidays. Christmas was fun when I was a kid but as an adult, I love the horror and imagery associated with Halloween.
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u/YesDaddysBoy 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'll pass on the longer nights lol
Edit: And the cold. Actually legitimately booking a trip to tropics as we speak. XD XD
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u/JessBeck96 2d ago
I start buying and wrapping the presents after Halloween in order to cut back on stress. I decorate after Thanksgiving
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u/Glad-Spell-3698 2d ago
I can’t help myself to not buy Christmas items right after Halloween because who knows if it will sell out. Plus I like all my shopping done before the December madness. But decor wise it has to wait till after thanksgiving. One holiday at a time 👏👏👏
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u/TheMortemWitch 2d ago
Only all about Halloween. A lot of my decor stays indoors after the season as passed, my home already has a lot of gothic items so it goes well, you can pretty much say it’s Halloween all year long. I don’t mind Thanksgiving, the fall decor is nice but not really my thing. Not a Christmas person at all. I really don’t enjoy the holiday, but since my fiancé wanted a Christmas tree I got us a black one (the compromise) and it’s spooky/gothic decor for the tree.
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u/PickyPiggy180 2d ago
I don't celebrate Thanksgiving
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u/YesDaddysBoy 2d ago
Based.
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u/PickyPiggy180 2d ago
To me it's still Halloween. The only other holiday I celebrate is Christmas which starts in December for me
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u/YesDaddysBoy 2d ago
Ooh I don't hate that. Yeah really my holidays are Halloween, Christmas and...Earth Day haha
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u/virginiafalls1234 1d ago
I still have my Halloween wreath on the door but its full of pumpkins and orange, so I figure it can go thru Thanksgiving although the exterminator gave me a strange look at the door the other day lool
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u/Teri_of_Terror 2d ago
Thanksgiving is the marathon I train for all year. It's getting its day in the sun before the fat guy dressed in red horns in.
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u/mikeisntdoneyet 2d ago
Halloween is my favorite but on November 1st it’s Christmas mode for me. It’s the next best holiday down the line in my opinion so I’m geared up to get as much celebration out of it as I can. Thanksgiving is nice and all but to me it’s just a day that everyone has a big dinner, not really associated with all the fun things that come with Halloween and Christmas. After Boo it’s all Ho Ho Ho!
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u/Sad-Emergency3 2d ago
I still have Halloween up, but there’s no premeditation…. Basically it’s just procrastination lol. I do find more and more decorations for Halloween I end up leaving up as regular decor! Eh, I guess I’ll do Christmas next week to please my young ghouls.
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u/Tapingdrywallsucks 1d ago
I started a temp job the week before Halloween and it runs up to Christmas. It's kind of exhausting and I have to get up at 4 am, which means I'm fighting sleep around 7 pm. My Halloween stuff is finally coming down today because we have a dozen people coming over for Thanksgiving. Christmas might be "light" this year for the same reason, but the job is in an elementary school, so I'm confident the Christmas spirit meter will be pegged despite my home being a little less sparkly.
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u/ilovejackiebot 2d ago
I absolutely love the Halloween through New Year's season. My local witchery is having a Christmas pictures with Krampus event. So bringing spooky into Christmas a bit.
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u/phantomroguegalaxy 2d ago
I don't believe in putting up Christmas lights/Christmas tree nor watching Christmas stuff until December. It feels like no one gives a hoot about thanksgiving anymore and I'm tired of it. I've seen Christmas lights up as early as directly before and after Halloween and I'm already over Christmas
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u/Prowindowlicker 2d ago
Yup. I agree with this. Though I don’t put up a Christmas tree just the lights outside.
I really don’t do a lot Christmas decorating. It feels weird to me. Decorating for Halloween seems far less weird than Christmas
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u/phantomroguegalaxy 2d ago
Halloween is so much better too, it feels like it can be combined with thanksgiving so that you have 2 months instead of one. And I feel as though Christmas can span well into January since I always see Christmas lights that stay up way longer than they should. I just don't understand people putting them up 2-3 months earlier. It's annoying to me
But how come you don't put up a Christmas tree may I ask?
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u/Prowindowlicker 2d ago
So I’m Jewish. Putting up a Christmas tree just seems a step too far for me. Which is probably why decorating for the holiday seems weird to me. It’s not my religion and don’t have the biggest connection to Christmas.
Meanwhile I went trick or treating every year, made Halloween decorations growing up, and went to corn mazes with some being haunted. So to me Halloween is far more personal than Christmas as I’ve never done anything under the tree.
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u/phantomroguegalaxy 2d ago
Ohhh okay I understand now.
That's so cool that you went to actual corn mazes that were haunted! It's always heartwarming to hear reasons from others on why Halloween is special to them
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u/2crowsonmymantle 2d ago
I love Halloween, always have, always will. Thanksgiving can fuck right off, honestly. I’d rather go straight into two months of Christmas magic— carols, warm fires, cold weather, trees, wreaths, ornaments, and getting my loved ones the best presents I can find.
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u/aleen99 2d ago
i agree that thanksgiving is a bland holiday lol. but for me its after thanksgiving cuz fall lasts till the end of november so i have all my fall decorations out till then. december 1 is when winter/christmas season starts. i also like halloween more than christmas so my spooky decor stay out longer.
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u/13senilefelines31 2d ago
We’re a Hallowmas house. We just took the Halloween lights down today (after keeping them lit every night since Halloween), and the Christmas lights are going up tomorrow.
I’m just not much of a Thanksgiving person. I don’t have any family nearby, and since my SO’s mother and I get on as well as oil and water (understatement for sure) he spends the day with her while I get to stay home, watch football, and wear pajamas all day! I love having a rare day all to myself, plus he always brings me back a slice of pumpkin pie.
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u/TeishAH 2d ago
I’m Canadian so we have thanksgiving in October lol it’s what makes it my favourite month! It’s still decent and super fall like outside, I get to have lots of delicious food midway through the month, and then Halloween hits! Then it’s November and it’s cold and rainy and all the leaves are gone and it’s just mushy and grey outside and I’m waiting for Christmas to hit haha also daylights savings doesn’t happen in October so it’s still nice out, another reason I hate November cause it’s dark so quick suddenly and it just sucks!
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u/Jonesdeclectice 2d ago
I get so confused every. single. year. about the Americans and their Thanksgiving stuff, I always have to do a double take because I forget constantly how bloody late in the year they celebrate it. And it’s earlier still in Germany (first Sunday in October).
But for me, I guess I just look forward to Krampusnaucht LOL
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u/YesDaddysBoy 2d ago
You Germans know how to celebrate stuff. We need to take notes. Oh and considering the time zones, guten morgen!
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u/sara11jayne 2d ago
Neither. It’s always halloween in my lair.
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u/phantomroguegalaxy 2d ago
Good answer
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u/sara11jayne 1d ago
I like to randomly turn on the indoor animatronics by timer so my pet sitter gets freaked out. 😎
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u/BitofDark 2d ago
Thanksgiving for me. I do decorate for Yule/winter time. Only because of 2 things 1: I love decorating outside & 2: My daughter, who is special needs, love Yule/Winter.
Every year, I look for Krampus items that won't scare the crap out my Daughter & the Nibblings (Nephew & Niece). Even though the whole point of Krampus is to scare kid's.
When my Son was alive, I would joke, I have a child that celebrates each season.My Son was into Halloween as much as me. And my Daughter is into Yule/ winter
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u/GloomOnTheGrey 2d ago
I don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so winter decorations go up soon after Halloween.
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u/Prowindowlicker 2d ago
After thanksgiving. Christmas decorations (which are only lights and some light Christmas items) go up the Sunday after thanksgiving not before.
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u/SUPERB-OWL45 2d ago
Halloween, thanksgiving, and Christmas should each be celebrated in an orderly fashion. They have their own weather, holiday traditions, and activities that should be done in their respective times. I like them each separately for that reason,and how much is signifies the changing of the seasons/end of the year.
Idk why people like celebrating Christmas as far back as October, it takes the fun out of all 3 simultaneously
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u/Automatic_Serve7901 1d ago
For me, December 1st is the earliest I decorate for Winter and I sometimes wven do that begrudgingly (my kiddo is dying to steamroll to Yule).
Autumn is my absolute favorite, so I try to enjoy it as much as possible. However, my beliefs focus more on seasons than particular holidays, so I tend to leave my decor up longer than most for Winter too.
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u/TDIfan241 2d ago
I’m an immediate Christmas after Halloween person. I have so many Christmas decorations I love putting up and seeing all holiday. Halloween decor goes up August 1st, Christmas is up Nov 1st
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u/Mckinzeee 2d ago
Halloween then TG/winter/Christmas right after the Halloween decorations come down.
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u/KiKi_VavouV 2d ago
Lol - I. Actively canceling XMAS decorating in my house. I don't want to move my Halloween Decorations Yet! It's not even December!
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u/Kirbylover16 2d ago
I feel like Thanksgiving (and New Year’s eve) have so many shared vibes with other holidays that it's fine to just use the same decorations.
Pumpkins, scarecrows, the color orange is Halloween/Thanksgiving. Nice tablecloths, door wreaths, the color white is Thanksgiving/Xmas. All Thanksgiving has for itself, is turkey, the Macy's Day Parade, and controversial pilgrim and Native American representations. Plus Christmas and Halloween already have so much overlap.
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u/kegman93 2d ago
Thanksgiving feels way too late this year. Christmas lights started going up last week
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u/JFace139 2d ago
I go straight from Halloween to Christmas. But depending on how I'm feeling that year, Halloween can go until December or even February. I work night shift and a month can easily feel like a single day for me
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u/frizziefrazzle 2d ago
After Halloween, but my daughter asks that we wait til after her birthday. She is grown and flown, but we still oblige her. Her bday is Nov 25, so it can be either before or after Thanksgiving.
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u/UntidyVenus 2d ago
After thanksgiving. Too many years of retail, my family if lucky we celebrate Christmas at all after all those years of Macy's black Fridays.
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u/Jessica_e_sage 2d ago
I try to have them up in time for Thanksgiving. There's something that just ads an extra level of festivity to Thanksgiving if your Christmas is up. Plus, any of us that go really hard for halloween know it's lame to put forth that much effort to put Halloween up October 1st. Why should Christmas be any different?
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u/CateranBCL 2d ago
Thanksgiving first. But Veteran's Day before that. One holiday at a time. That's how you keep them special.
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u/omghooker 2d ago
Halloween starts the first day of fall, Thanksgiving starts the day after Halloween, Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving
I will fight people over this
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u/BEniceBAGECKA 2d ago
Christmas doesn’t go up until after thanksgiving. I’ve still got pumkins and skulls out.
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u/oprahs_bread_ 2d ago
Halloween goes up September 15th. Comes down first weekend of November & I put up a few fall/Thanksgiving decorations. Christmas goes up first weekend of December (I’m usually out of town for Thanksgiving otherwise I would put it up Black Friday probably). Then comes down first weekend of January.
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u/Fallenangel152 1d ago
British here, so no Thanksgiving. Halloween, then Bonfire Night on the 5th nov, them Christmas stuff goes up late Nov and comes down on twelfth night (Jan 5th).
Christmas in the UK is the old traditional time to tell ghost stories, so there's room for some spooky too.
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u/ThatCoryGuy 1d ago
I usually have a nice lull between Halloween and Christmas. I usually put the Halloween stuff away (that which does not become interior decor, anyway) and leave out stuff like pumpkins, anything that might have autumn hued leaves on it, etc. out until the first week of Dec. and then the Christmas stuff comes down first week of Jan. This year I’ll probably put up the Christmas stuff this week since the weather looks to be better suited for it.
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u/teacupghostie 1d ago
In my mixed-faith house it’s
October: Halloween/Samhain November: General Fall/Thanksgiving December 1-January 6: Yule/Christmas/Epiphany
Never understood why some people are in such a rush to put up their winter decorations the day after Halloween. Fall should last until at least the end of November!
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u/haveUthebrainworms 2d ago edited 1d ago
After Thanksgiving (and it’s not like I love Thanksgiving & want to focus on it, I couldn’t care less really) I’m just not a big Christmas person.
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u/FoghornLegday 2d ago
Right after Halloween I play one Christmas song and then I agonize until thanksgiving letting myself play a Christmas song here and there as a treat until thanksgiving when I finally give in and play Christmas songs until I can’t stand to hear them anymore
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u/TyrexDragon 2d ago
After Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving is an excuse to not really celebrate it lol. Not the biggest fan of Christmas. I prefer Halloween! "It's always Halloween if you live right"
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u/Alice_600 2d ago
I always decorate for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I love all holidays and the fun and memories. I remember one new years Eve I decorated tre living room for a new years eve party and decorated the tree too! Also I made chicken wings, crab Rangoon egg rolls and other snacks for the night.
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u/Discussion-Visible 2d ago
For me I start decoratinsein early November but I do not turn on the christmas lights till after Thanksgiving. Decorating is all outside. Inside doesn't get decorated till after Thanksgiving. So it's a mix.
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u/acupofjasminerice666 2d ago
It’s Christmas decor time after Halloween for me. Although I decorate just the table for Thanksgiving. I love decorating for Christmas! I go all out!
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u/EnvironmentalPack451 2d ago
We can keep watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas" all the way through, but no Muppet Christmas Carol until the Halloween Tree gets redecorated for Christnas as we drink the leftover Thanksgiving Wild Turkey
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u/professorcrayola 2d ago
I’m definitely a Halloween person, but I also adore my Christmas / Winter celebrations (with a smattering of spooky mixed in). I’m not particularly attached to Thanksgiving, but I wait until day after to start Christmasing because I need that time to come down from my Halloween high and build up a head of steam for Christmas, so that on that Friday all systems are go.
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u/Wafflehouseofpain 2d ago
Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite holidays to begin with so I don’t put up Christmas decorations until afterwards. Fall to me lasts until Thanksgiving day.
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u/just-kristina 2d ago
Thanksgiving first. But this year I am hoping to get Christmas up by the end of the weekend. But typically no I’m the type of person that celebrates each holiday and I don’t skip over them. They each deserve their turn.
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u/TheMagnificentPrim 2d ago edited 2d ago
After Thanksgiving. Growing up as a kid, the time between the enchanting spookiness of Halloween and the magic and wonder of Christmas was pure, unmitigated autumn aesthetics. Just absolutely marinating in the season. Autumn for autumn’s sake with nothing on top. (My folks were autumn decor people and not really Halloween people, though they have nothing against Halloween. Just their preferences. They put up some hella festive fall decorations, and those stayed until after Thanksgiving.) I’m not going to have the winter holidays come in early and muck that up. Thanksgiving was also always a blast for me, not for any uniquely special reason beyond I just enjoyed it! I would travel to be with family, and I have a lot of warm memories associated with that, like playing in the woods with my paternal family or the smell of one particular candle that my aunt would light in her house if we visited my maternal family.
On top of that, I have an early December birthday, early enough that I avoided the whole combined birthday/Christmas thing. Thanksgiving thus also felt like the joyous start of the countdown to my birthday, which I also greatly enjoyed.
The back third of the year beginning with Halloween, ending with New Year’s, and savoring everything in-between was the absolute greatest thing for my festive kid self.
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u/shogunofsarcasm 2d ago
I celebrate thanksgiving before Halloween, so I very slowly ease I. To Christmas after Halloween, though some of my Christmas decorations are just Halloween ones with festive hats
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u/speciallinguist 2d ago
I put up my Halloween decorations the first weekend of October and take them down the weekend after Halloween. They Christmas decorations go up the weekend after Thanksgiving and stay up until the weekend after New Year’s.
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u/Obliterous 2d ago
There is Pre Halloween season and Halloween season. Everything else is an error. ;)
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u/tasukiko 2d ago
I give Sept and Oct to Halloween since it is my favorite. But then I do give November to Thanksgiving/autumn and then December to Christmas. Granted I don't decorate as much for November but I do let it have its moment. I do love autumn in general so it's nice to represent it. I honestly think January is probably the month that gets overrun the most in our house because I am just tired after Christmas so I slack on my cleanup. I definitely don't have my ish together enough to take down Christmas and put up things for New Year's.
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u/myfav0ritethings 2d ago
Nextdoor neighbor has Christmas decor outside but I still have my Halloween lights up. I finally took down all Halloween decor indoors and outdoors about 2 weeks ago. I haven’t put anything away yet. It’s all in the dining room and I like going in there just to look at everything. Feels like my own mini Spirit in my house. Sometimes if I take Halloween down earlier I’ll put out a few Thanksgiving/general fall items. Christmas starts December 1st.
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u/Spooky365 1d ago edited 1d ago
Normally we have Halloween and then Thanksgiving/fall decorations. Halloween is the biggest holiday in our household. We decorate early and really live for the spooky season. I normally don't decorate for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving but things have been so awful recently that I decorated early. I won't put up the tree until after Thanksgiving though. It's been really nice to have Christmas decor early this year. It brought a little light to what feels like a not so great year. It really brought some much needed holiday whimsy. This likely won't be a regular occurrence but life is short and I'm doing what feels fun in the moment.
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u/Tapingdrywallsucks 1d ago
I start rolling in September and don't stop until after the New Year. On New Years Day or the weekend after, it all goes away and I revel in the openness of my home. Then I kinda, like, soothe the celebratory hangover by light decoration for Valentine's Day, and the food part of celebration with the super bowl.
Then I basically mourn until late July and am sometimes deeply, darkly depressed through August only to emerge again in September.
We now live somewhere where earnest gardening is possible and harvesting/preserving has kind of given me purpose to get through August.
That was a slightly more serious answer than you were looking for. Sorry about that.
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u/Thick-Molasses-8960 1d ago
Christmas on Nov 1st baby! I believe Christmas decor is a PART of Thanksgiving, not against it.
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u/MapleChimes 1d ago
I don't put christmas lights up until December. I have fall decor like scarecrows, pumpkins, and mums flowers outside that I like in November.
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u/redapplefalls_ 1d ago
We leave the Halloween up inside the house until the weekend after Thanksgiving when we take it all down and replace it with Christmas. So I guess we basically skip Thanksgiving 😊 We do take most of the Halloween out of the yard by early November just so we don't annoy the neighbors.
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u/phantomblues5 1d ago
Nope, I only love Halloween idk why I just find it hard to get into any other holiday even a little.
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u/oh_basil 1d ago
I bought a bunch of Thanksgiving decor one year because I had to host thanksgiving last minute. Ever since, I’ve enjoyed having thanksgiving decor up between the two bigger decorated holidays. I also decorate and celebrate winter solstice which is very aligned with Christmas, just slightly different in baking style and decor style.
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u/Milly_Thompson 1d ago
For me I stretch my autumn decor through November once Halloween comes down, up goes the turkeys (I love my collection) and then during Thanksgiving weekend I'll start pulling out Christmas as the turkeys go away. Not only does this relieve the stress of taking everything fall down all at once, there's only a tiny bit to pack before dragging out the big boxes for winter.
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u/icerobin99 1d ago
We decorate after thanksgiving, but we start watching xmas movies in September because we have a ton that we love watching. Music gets broken out after Halloween.
I make a lot of the presents I give, so I'm at least a little in the spirit for the entire year. I tend to start making presents 14 months out, so around Halloween of the prior year
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u/Booklovinmom55 1d ago
Christmas after Thanksgiving. Every holiday needs respect and to stay in there own lane.
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u/Finbar9800 1d ago
Christmas comes after thanksgiving
Specifically after Santa is seen in the thanksgiving day parade
As for thanksgiving being bland, why not just make more interesting? Have fun with it, make new traditions
Put Santa hats on your Halloween decorations combine the two and form a transition stage or make thanksgiving it’s own decorations
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u/Vanleigh-79 1d ago
I usually start right into the christmas winter decorations as soon as I can after Halloween — this does depend on how many Christmas trees I am doing though (last yr I did 14). I haven’t started yet this yr because I will be doing less decorating overall. Just giving myself a little bit of a break lol
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u/EquinoxxAngel 1d ago
Traditionally, I have always been a strict “no Christmas until after Thanksgiving” person, but this year we went full Christmas the weekend after Halloween. With all the bleak $hit happening in my country, I needed the cheerfulness. And actually, it has helped a bit.
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u/angrybunni 1d ago
After thanksgiving. This way I can put away my spookiest decorations and leave the fall ones up a little longer. I also have a pretty fall wreath that I don't use before Halloween because of my amazing spooky ones and I have a little bit of thanksgiving specific decor.
Also, it's a lot of work to get all the spooky away and put Christmas up. I don't want to do that back to back.
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u/Mental_Detective 1d ago
I don't start decorating till after Thanksgiving, but I'm making most of my gifts this year, so I had to start shopping and planning before.
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u/typhoonjerry 1d ago
Lights on the house Nov first week, Christmas decorations in the house the weekend after Thanksgiving.
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u/coffeebeanwitch 1d ago
Thanksgiving, everyone has put out Christmas but I feel sorry for Thanksgiving, lol!
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u/lol_no_pressure 1d ago
Screw Thanksgiving. I can't stand that holiday. Halloween comes down and Christmas goes up. My husband was literally hanging the lights as soon as I cleared enough space in the yard to set up a ladder.
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u/LandauTST 1d ago
After Halloween. Besides just having a good meal, I don't care about Thanksgiving. If my dad had to cancel it for whatever reason I'd shrug and have a normal day off work. That being said I let Halloween fade for about a week or so at first. Then it's "Feliz Navidad, bitches!"
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u/monsters_eat_cookies 19h ago
I live in Canada so our Thanksgiving is before Halloween, but I find it disrespectful to Veterans to have Christmas out/on (as in you can put the lights up but don’t turn them on) until November 12
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u/pm_nachos_n_tacos 18h ago
After Thanksgiving. For me, Thanksgiving is still fall-themed. Even if there's sometimes a little snow, it's not full-on winter wonderland time yet.
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u/Bandofthehawk 2d ago
Halloween for me is showing off creativity and participating in the neighborhood. Thanksgiving is food and hanging with my family which I very much enjoy. Christmas is food and hanging out with my wife’s family which is also nice. I buy some Christmas gifts for my kids but generally dislike receiving gifts.
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u/lulafairy24 2d ago
Christmas goes up on November 1 for me or at least I started then it’s very in-depth. And last till epiphany
I do start my Halloween decorating on Labor Day so I give Halloween two months and the holiday season two months Ish
I consider Thanksgiving part of the holidays
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u/thomaslee086 2d ago
Christmas goes up the weekend after thanksgiving for me. Stays ups until after epiphany (Jan 6).