When to decorate for Christmas will get you fierce opinions on both sides of the battle lines. We love to savor each season—crisp fall, Thanksgiving togetherness, and then Christmas.
The halls are decked at Black-eyed Susan as late as possible, but before our annual First Peek event, when our followers get a preview of the year’s Christmas collection. Because that launches the first week of November, our designers are putting in hundreds of design hours into Christmas setup right before Halloween! It’s all hands on deck around the clock for a week, with everyone coated in glitter from head to toe while every corner of the store gets the #falalalafabulous treatment.
So what happens when you have a whole house to decorate for your family, after you’ve spent hours at work on 10,000 square feet of centerpieces, mantels, and trees? This is how Black-eyed Susan does it!
decorate before Thanksgiving
Nicole Muller, Home Store Coordinator
We start decorating early in my house. Usually, we do the 1st of November for inside the house and the outside after Thanksgiving. I love Christmas and the whole holiday season and general. My children love helping set up and get excited to open up their Christmas ornaments each year to put on their tree. Everything Christmas makes me happy and reminds me of the importance of family and traditions. It’s a time of year when wonderful memories are created.
Alyssa Vache, Receiving Assistant & Studio Librarian
Since I finally moved into my first apartment, I got a little overzealous and decorated for Christmas on Halloween night this year! It was a giant leap from what I am used to, as my family used to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving, but I felt so inspired by all the festivities that I just had to dive in. I’ve gotten a few confused looks when I mention to people that my apartment is already Christmased out, but to me it’s worth coming home to such a cozy space.
decorate after Thanksgiving
Juliana Ferrazzi, Lead Interior Designer
I’m lucky to be surrounded by the ultimate Christmas decorations at work, so coming home and deciding when to start fluctuates. Nothing compares to what you see at the home store! But, the day after Thanksgiving is when I decorate my sister’s house. With two helpers at 5 and 7 years old, it is so much fun! We do two trees, inside decor, the outside porch, hot cocoa and cookie making … it’s a full day! It’s not the designer tree look, but our tradition is just as fabulous.
Linda Giler, CFO and Buyer
I haul everything out the day after Thanksgiving! It’s always hard to get motivated as I have just spent 9 days setting up Christmas at Black-eyed Susan, so in many ways I feel like … been there, done that! But, then I do love Christmas and there is something about all the snowy white and glittery decorations that are just so magical. And did I mention glitter? My oldest son is always in town for Thanksgiving, and he’s eager to sit and talk to me as I pull everything out. Somehow the conversation always becomes about memories, and that’s magical, as well.
Rose Lee, Store Associate
This is starting to become a problem with kids in college, because we cut our tree down. Trying to wait for the kids to come home from different college campuses makes it pretty late to buy a tree and decorate the house. This year, we are picking out the tree on Thanksgiving weekend. Hopefully we will have it all done by the middle of December. The debate over fresh or artificial Christmas trees is another story!
Lisa Farina, Store Associate
We are sadly an overbooked family, so we do everything at the last minute! My sweet husband will actually haul in our artificial tree, because when it is just sitting in the garage, you can do that. He’ll haul up some of the bins of ornaments and just start decorating because he wants it done, and I have too much on my plate to think about it! I used to get all bent out of shape over this, but really, what does it matter? It’s the not really what the holidays are all about, so now I look at it as a small gift and appreciate it.
Connie Terlecki, Office Manager
I decorate after Thanksgiving because I have no choice! I host 16 people every year, and make sure each family has leftovers to take home. It’s an all-day event, and my husband constructs a custom-built table arrangement so everyone can sit down and eat at the same time. I’m ready to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving—I throw out my pumpkins and pull out my Christmas. I enjoy decorating. I put on Christmas music, and the whole house becomes a big mess, but then it comes together.
Amy Lee, Project Manager
I always decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. I feel Thanksgiving rings in the Christmas holiday, probably because I went to New York City’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for almost 20 years. Seeing Santa arrive at the end indicates it’s officially the Christmas season!