"For some, Christmas begins as soon as Halloween is over and Mariah Carey has thawed"
- Colby Short - GetAgent
While for some it may be perfectly acceptable to start belting out Fairytale of New York around a fully decorated Christmas tree before they've finished digesting the last of their easter eggs, the majority believe it’s bad Christmas etiquette to deck the halls before December.
The latest research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed that while half of the nation believes November marks the countdown to Christmas, the majority of us think it’s bad Christmas etiquette to start putting up decorations around the home until early December, at the very least.
The survey commissioned by GetAgent found that now Halloween is out of the way, 45% of us believe the countdown to Christmas has officially started.
However, while the clock might be ticking towards the most wonderful time of the year, we’re not quite ready to embrace the Christmas spirit just yet.
Just 7% of those surveyed said they had already started listening to Christmas music in preparation for St Nick.
What’s more, just 1% said they had already put up Christmas decorations within their home, while the same number have already adorned their home with external Christmas decorations such as fairy lights.
For the rest of us, it doesn’t look like we’ll be decking the halls anytime soon.
When asked when it’s acceptable to start putting up Christmas decorations around the home, just 4% said mid-November, with a further 9% waiting for the end of November before doing so.
For the majority of the nation, December is when Christmas decorations become officially acceptable, with almost half (47%) stating early December as the earliest acceptable time.
A further 29% believe that Christmas decorations shouldn’t be put up until mid-December, with one in 10 waiting until just a few days before Christmas.
Co-founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, commented: “For some, Christmas begins as soon as Halloween is over and Mariah Carey has thawed and it’s fair to say that the countdown to Christmas certainly begins in November with the clocks going back and the end of the year fast approaching.
"However, it seems when it comes to decking our homes with boughs of holly and other Christmas decorations, November is a little too soon for most and the vast majority of us will be holding out until December at the earliest.
"Maybe we’ve grown sick of Christmas consumerism, with Christmas-related items appearing in the shops earlier every year and Christmas adverts hitting our screens in October? Of course, there are a whole host of traditions and superstitions that also play a part.
"Christmas trees are traditionally put up at the start of Advent which is four Sundays before Christmas and often falls at the start of December.
"Other traditions state it shouldn’t go up until 12 days before Christmas, while some superstitions state it’s bad luck to erect a Christmas tree until December.
"For most, putting up the tree and decorating the rest of the house are tasks undertaken at the same time and so it makes sense that the vast majority of us wait it out until December arrives.”
