Post Yur Piture Thead v. Surfin' Bird

[Jamesman42]

Lifelong Florida native, 35 is the stuff that scares me. Below that and I think I would actually die.

  I was just out there for Thanksgiving, and it was so weird.  Day of Thanksgiving, it was so HOT.  And then seeing people having Christmas light up in the warm weather just kept making me laugh.

On a side note, really glad we took the opportunity to have Thanksgiving out there.  My younger son just told us he is probably transferring to a school in Tennessee, so this was the first AND last year that both boys were in the Tampa area, so probably our only opportunity to all be together for a holiday out there.   :'(

It used to be so chilly (for Florida) on Thanksgiving days. Even in my early 20s, I would go for a walk after eating and be freezing. It was too warm this past year. In August, there were winds in the afternoon that made you feel like there was a fire nearby.

It's very commonplace here for Christmas stuff to go up the day after Thanksgiving and most are down by 1/1. Is that not the norm elsewhere?

[bosk1]

No, the timing wasn't really the issue, as much as just the heat, as I mentioned.  (although my son was getting triggered by the fact that there were actually quite a few lights up Thanksgiving week BEFORE Thanksgiving day, which we don't usually see back here in CA)

[wolfking]

The most difficult part is to get my ass out of the warm bed.

That's the most astounding part to me. 

[Orbert]

If my wife had her way, Christmas lights would go up the day after Thanksgiving ("the official start of Christmas season") and come down Jan 1st, because that's always how her family did it.  Basically, any time there isn't an established normal way to do something, we do it the way her family did it, and most of the time I don't really care enough to argue.  Choose your battles, etc.

But that's if she had her way.  Christmas lights go up a week or so before Christmas because basically I do the work while she stands there and "directs" the operations.  So it tends to happen when I feel like it, which is usually mid-December because around then I suddenly think "Well shit, I really should get those lights out and up".  And they don't come down on New Year's Day because come on, I'm watching bowl games and/or napping from the previous night's festivities.  I'm gonna break away from that to take down Christmas lights because some lame tradition says that that's the day to do it?  Nah.  I do choose my battles.

[hefdaddy42]

It's very commonplace here for Christmas stuff to go up the day after Thanksgiving and most are down by 1/1. Is that not the norm elsewhere?

That's fairly standard.

My wife doesn't like to decorate before December, so the first of the month is when we get the tree and lights and everything up.  Takedown is more fluid, always after 1/1.  We got the house de-Christmased this past weekend.

[bosk1]

If I had my way, our entire town would agree to keep lights and decorations up until 1/31.  I love having all that stuff up and being able to look at it.

[TAC]

If I had my way, our entire town would agree to keep lights and decorations up until 1/31.  I love having all that stuff up and being able to look at it.

Ours are still up. Really just because we've been busy. We try to have them down by the end of the month.

The tree though? I'd take the thing down on 12/26 if my wife would let me. She insists on having it up through New Years, but I took it down on the 1st this year, and always no later than the 2nd.

[hefdaddy42]

If I had my way, our entire town would agree to keep lights and decorations up until 1/31.  I love having all that stuff up and being able to look at it.

One year when our kids were young, we didn't have the time or energy to take our Christmas stuff down til February.

[faizoff]

I usually put mine up that weekend right after Thanksgiving too.  It just felt odd seeing them up when the weather was so warm. 

And I didn't know you knew my kids were specifically in the Tampa area.  Have I mentioned that, or was that just a good guess?

I had no idea you had kids lol that too in the Tampa area, you mentioned that in your post that I originally quoted. I was just replying to the decorations seen here in Tampa. I get that the decorations seem to correlate to cold weather for many, hot or cold they go up regardless at Thanksgiving time.

Our winters are weird, I remember a few years back Dec had a high of 84. They're all over the place.

[Lonk]

I grew up in a place that no only was it always hot for the holidays (lowest it would go was 65 on a very rare occasion), but people would put up Christmas decoration as early as September/October, though most people would wait for November 1st.

[bosk1]

I had no idea you had kids lol that too in the Tampa area, you mentioned that in your post that I originally quoted. I was just replying to the decorations seen here in Tampa.

Yeah, both boys are in Temple Terrace.  Oldest is at USF and lives a few minutes from campus.  The younger one is at FC, but wants to transfer to TN as a sophomore because they have better programs there for what he wants to so (...and also bc his girlfriend is at that school, but I'm sure that has little to do with it. ).

[Jamesman42]

If I had my way, our entire town would agree to keep lights and decorations up until 1/31.  I love having all that stuff up and being able to look at it.

One year when our kids were young, we didn't have the time or energy to take our Christmas stuff down til February.

My one year old loved the tree too much this year, so we took it down 12/26, and then everything else slowly after that.

[Chino]

We'll take the other decorations down this weekend, but the tree stays up until the end of January or later. It costs $100 for a live one now, and we want our money's worth  Also, we genuinely just love having it up. It adds to the ambiance, and it pairs well with the fireplace that we have lit all the time.

[Indiscipline]

Decorations usually go away after 1/6, whenever we catch a break from work. At that point the tree gets moved outside, where it will stay until a) Carnival season b) the cats get to actually threaten its structural integrity.

[Stadler]

We'll take the other decorations down this weekend, but the tree stays up until the end of January or later. It costs $100 for a live one now, and we want our money's worth  Also, we genuinely just love having it up. It adds to the ambiance, and it pairs well with the fireplace that we have lit all the time.

That looks like a postcard.  Beautiful!!!


My wife and I "fought" a bit about that; I'd keep the tree up as long as I could (my mother - who loved Christmas and collected Santa Claus's - would keep it up sometimes till late February).   My wife wanted it down New Year's Weekend.

The tree came down New Year's weekend. 

[TAC]

The thing is, my tree is usually dead by Christmas anyway. Anyone that's ever torched their tree in the backyard has to know that the thing being in the house is not a good idea.

[Lonk]

The thing is, my tree is usually dead by Christmas anyway. Anyone that's ever torched their tree in the backyard has to know that the thing being in the house is not a good idea.

Get plastic tree, you tree killer!

Just kidding 

[cramx3]

We set up a small fake tree this year and I kept joking with my gf (since I was being the scrooge here) that the tree was coming down December 26th.  It ended up coming down on January 3rd, which was fine.  I was just joking about it coming down because I honestly enjoyed the lights while watching TV at night.  My cat never interacted with the tree either surprisingly.

Love the fire place Chino, wish I had one.  Your house looks super cozy.

[Cool Chris]

Decorations go up the days following Thanksgiving, and come down the first weekend after January 01.

And how are people killing their trees? Did you start out with aa Charlie Brown tree that was on life support at the tree farm?

[bosk1]

We've never done a live tree.  So much more expensive than the fake ones.  We've had ours for probably 20 years.  And while it's starting to show a lot of wear (not really visible--just stuff you know if you are setting it up), it'll still likely be around awhile.

But being at the base of the Sierra foothills, there is ample opportunity to get live trees for anyone who wants to in addition to the usual tree lots that spring up around Thanksgiving time.  There are lots of tree farms where you can go and get yours, and the forest service also issues permits to cut down your own trees in lots of designated areas.  And right after the new year, there are tree recycling programs where you leave your tree out on the curb, and someone comes and picks it up, and they toss them all in the wood chipper to make mulch that is then given out for free (or a small delivery fee).  In my town, the all Scouts troops go around the neighborhoods for the tree collection and take them to the rodeo grounds where they have a crew that unloads them and puts them in the chippers.   

[Chino]

  In my town, the all Scouts troops go around the neighborhoods for the tree collection and take them to the rodeo grounds where they have a crew that unloads them and puts them in the chippers.

We've got farms in the area that have signs up telling you that it's cool to throw your tree over the fence as long as it's hook and tinsel free. The goats go nuts over them.

My town used to have an annual tree burning. Hundreds from families would all hand their tree over to the fire department at one of the schools, and then they'd do a controlled burn at night.

[cramx3]

  In my town, the all Scouts troops go around the neighborhoods for the tree collection and take them to the rodeo grounds where they have a crew that unloads them and puts them in the chippers.

We've got farms in the area that have signs up telling you that it's cool to throw your tree over the fence as long as it's hook and tinsel free. The goats go nuts over them.

My town used to have an annual tree burning. Hundreds from families would all hand their tree over to the fire department at one of the schools, and then they'd do a controlled burn at night.

I saw a tiktok about a goat farm for people to throw their trees.  Thought that was cool and a useful way to get rid of the tree.  Also in NJ, apparently one town was trying to do the tree bon fire but the state said no (or something, I forget the details).  I thought a bon fire would be pretty cool albeit maybe not the best for the environment? (I'm not sure, I believe the reason not to was more because of the smoke it would create for the local neighborhoods).

[DragonAttack]

My first ever nonwhite cooking apron, thanks to my S-I-L.  The chili worked for the Ravens and my one eyed supervisor tonight.  Hope the 30+ year old hat works for the Lions on Sunday.  Oh ...btw....do not stand downwind of our home tomorrow.

 
[/quote]

[King Postwhore]

[DragonAttack]

Damn near spit out my chili !

[King Postwhore]

A face mask girls wear to keep down swelling. I look like an 80's movie murder character. Lol

[lonestar]

My first ever nonwhite cooking apron, thanks to my S-I-L.  The chili worked for the Ravens and my one eyed supervisor tonight.  Hope the 30+ year old hat works for the Lions on Sunday.  Oh ...btw....do not stand downwind of our home tomorrow.

 

[/quote]

Nice one...you all would think I'd have an extensive collection of aprons, but aside from my work ones I just got two Star Wars aprons and my Haken apron signed by the band which will never see a kitchen.

[TAC]

You shaved!!!!

[King Postwhore]

Lol. An ice mask. Something silly women use. Lol

[King Postwhore]

Thank you mom and dad for influencing my brother and I with the love of music.

[TAC]

Chris Karam likes this!

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Chris Karam likes this!

[King Postwhore]

Chris Karam likes this!

My cousin can't like the 1 post. He likes every picture. It's a running joke with my wife, brother and sister in law. Lol

[King Postwhore]

Such an emotional day cleaning my parents house. We are working towards selling it.

A flood of find memories and a bit of sadness that they are no longer with us. We were blessed to have such awesome parents.

[King Postwhore]