The tinsel is out, lights are up and trees adorned with decorations, as Brits start spreading the Christmas cheer… in November.
Every year, debate rages over when it’s acceptable to start cracking out the decorations – with some getting started as soon as Halloween is out of the way.
Others wait until mid-December to prevent real trees from drying out, while the more miserly among us say no earlier than December 24.
But as the festive season begins (only 31 more sleeps!), those who have already decorated their trees have proudly taken to social media to show them off.
Celebrities are leading the trend, with Sir David and Lady Victoria Beckham unveiling their spectacular decorations this weekend, while Claire Sweeney raised eyebrows by putting hers up in the first week of November.
So when is too early to put up Christmas decorations?
According to tradition, Christmas trees and decorations should go up on the first day of Advent, the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which falls on November 30 this year.
As the countdown to Christmas begins those who have already bought and decorated their tree have proudly taken to social media to show off their festive homes
One wrote: ‘It is okay to have the Christmas Tree up now? #BeenUpTwoWeeksAlready.’
Another added: ‘Too early?! Haha. Having a daughter has made this time magical again.
‘So the Christmas tree is up and running!!’
A third said: ‘Got my mini Christmas tree up. I know it’s early but it gives me joy and there’s not enough of that.’
Another penned: ‘I put up my Christmas Tree entirely too early. I’m one of these people.’
A fifth wrote: ‘Good morning and happy new week lovelies! 4 weeks to Christmas Eve so the first tree is up and decorated, the second one in the dining room is in progress!
‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…Have a peaceful and happy day, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing!’
And while some may think five weeks in advance is too much, one mother decided to fully decorate her home for the festive season in August.
Janet (pictured), who is from the UK, has decided to fully decorate her home for the festive season in August, even putting her Christmas tree up in the living room of her home
Despite it still being summer, she filled her home with twinkling lights, winter candles, Christmas cushions, and even a 5ft Christmas tree in her garden.
Taking to her TikTok account @janet777799, Janet shared the clip, which got over 65,000 views – but some people said putting the decorations up so early was ‘ridiculous’.
She said: ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. She’s up! She’s up. The house is covered in Christmas stuff.
‘I gotta show you how beautiful the tree is. The only thing I wanna change is the star, because I don’t like the star. I want a little fairy up on there.’
The phenomenon has become known as ‘Christmas creep’, with retailers and merchandisers seeking to prolong festive sales for as long as possible.
Even before Halloween, Bonfire Night and Thanksgiving, celebrities raced against the clock to get their festive decorations up as soon as possible.
Victoria Beckham, 51, took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal she had decided to give their £31.5million London townhouse a festive makeover to surprise the former footballer, 50.
Victoria told her followers: ‘The tree is ready. Feeling like an overachiever, I can’t lie. It’s a big tree. We’ve never been so ready for Christmas. Ready for David’s…’
Opening the door, he told her: ‘Be honest. Did you really decorate that tree?’
Insisting she did, Victoria asked: ‘Is it a nice surprise?’ David replied: ‘Very nice surprise, Mrs Claus.’
It appeared to kick-start the celebrity Christmas race for 2025, with Kate Ferdinand putting up her tree in her luxury Dubai home.
Amanda Holden followed suit, telling her followers: ‘Oh my gosh I’m so excited to share my front door and Christmas tree with you all! As you know I love Christmas as much as @mariahcarey (but I am a mere handmaiden to her Queen!).
She unveiled a bauble wreath on her front door, alongside a huge garland with candy canes and a massive red bow.
Sir David Beckham left fans in stitches as he recreated his viral ‘be honest’ moment from his Netflix documentary, after doubting his wife Victoria decorated their Christmas tree
Posh, 51, took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal she had decided to give their £31.5million London townhouse a festive makeover to surprise the former footballer, 50
Claire Sweeney revealed she put her Christmas tree up just a week into November
TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, 34, had a mini Christmas tree in the background as she made her children ‘1st December baskets’ for advent
While Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies has filmed herself doing Christmas crafts
The Dragons’ Den star already has her tree up and has decorated it with mercury glass baubles and cardboard initials
TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, 34, had a mini Christmas tree in the background as she made her children ‘1st December baskets’ for advent.
Stacey Solomon was seen decorating her fireplace for a giveaway with ‘Let It Snow’ playing in the background – again with an impressive pine garland on display.
Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies has filmed herself doing crafts – including mercury glass baubles and cardboard initials – all with her frosted white Christmas tree and gold berries in the background.
Claire Sweeney seemed to put her tree before anyone else, decorating just a week into November.
The former Brookside actress, 54, posted the lighthearted pictures to her Instagram story to show off her dazzling tree, complete with red and gold decorations.
A recent poll by Forestry England revealed that 51 per cent of their followers like to put their tree up as soon as December begins, while a further 21 per cent prefer to start the festivities early in November.
James Cooper, a Christmas Expert from the UK who runs WhyChristmas.com, revealed that he puts his tree up at the start of Advent, but he does have ‘some lights and little ornaments that stay out all year’.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘Advent, the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas, was traditionally a religious reflective time before the big Christmas celebrations and the 12 Days of Christmas but now we seem to have everything before Christmas.
‘In many parts of Europe, they will put up their decorations during Advent and December but Christmas Tree is only put up and decorated on Christmas Eve!
This year, the British Christmas Tree Growers Association has warned buyers to get their trees early than usual this year, as the hottest summer on record has caused a shortage.
The long-lasting high temperatures have put enormous stress on the trees, leaving some with burnt branches and deformed tops.
Growers have also seen many saplings, planted in the spring, die from the hot weather.
It means Britons flocking to garden centres and farms in December may find the ideal fir particularly hard to come by.
The Fresh Produce Consortium said: ‘In some species, entire branches are showing burnt tips. The heat is also hampering lateral growth – meaning, in some cases, trees aren’t filling out as they should. Because Christmas trees take many years to mature, damage inflicted now can reverberate for seasons to come.
‘With losses mounting, growers are warning that fewer ideal trees – particularly tall specimens with clean, symmetrical shapes – may make it to market.’
Some five million real Christmas trees are bought each year, according to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association.
Despite people’s doubts over decorating early, Professor Erlanger A. Turner, a clinical psychologist at Pepperdine University, said it can be explained by the ‘anticipation of joy’ theory.
‘By decorating early, people can prolong the sense of excitement and happiness associated with the holiday season,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘As people begin to mentally prepare for enjoyable experiences, such as Christmas decorations and celebrations, anticipation of joy helps to boost their mood and well-being.
A recent poll by Forestry England revealed that 51 per cent of their followers like to put their tree up as soon as December begins, while a further 21 per cent prefer to start the festivities early in November
And according to a 1989 study, the presence of Christmas decorations inside and outside the home can make the residents appear more sociable.
So those who make a big effort with decorations or put them up especially early may – either consciously or unconsciously – trying to establish friendships.
A recent study found that more than three-quarters of Brits say they’ve finished their Christmas shopping already – despite there being a full month left before the big day.
A poll of 2,000 Brits found that 78 per cent said they’d snapped up all they need for loved ones already.
The study by Clearpay found that Geordies and those from the East of England were a nose ahead of the rest of the country, with 80 per cent having already completed their festive shopping.
Alastair Browne, 56, of Edinburgh, said he’d finished all his festive shopping, apart from getting something for his wife.
He said: ‘I’ve got all my gifts wrapped up and stashed away in my study.
‘I’ve bought 20 so far, but still need to get my wife something special – which I’ll get when I get paid at the end of the month.’
But, some people have even said they’re getting ‘festive burnout’ after Christmas ads were released more than two months before the big day.
This year, brands like John Lewis, Coca–Cola, and Argos have rushed to get their Christmas adverts out almost two months ahead of the big day.
You might think that this would help us to get excited for Santa’s arrival.
However, stretching out the festive season can actually have the opposite effect – sparking ‘festive burnout’.
Taking to X, one commenter complained: ‘These Christmas ads are annoying. It’s too f****** early. It’s the 12 days of Christmas, not the 60+ days of Christmas.’
While it might sound dramatic, experts say the prolonged buildup to Christmas can lead to poor sleep, irritable moods, and depression.
And in extreme cases, festive burnout can even lead to increased risk of heart attacks and death.
Professor Ruth Ogden, a psychologist from Liverpool John Moores University, told Daily Mail: ‘For adults, it is possible that earlier and earlier starts to Christmas marketing amplify time pressure and a sense of stress.
‘It’s easy to see how you could feel like life is speeding by if, as soon as you finish the summer holidays, it is immediately the run–up to Christmas.’
While it seems the Christmas build up starts earlier and earlier each year, there’s an ever-increasing trend of people considering Christmas to be ‘over’ as soon as December 25 ends.
But Christmas Day is only the first of the 12 days of Christmas, the period in Christian theology celebrating Jesus Christ’s Nativity.
Lasting from December 25 to January 5, the 12 days of Christmas mark the time between the birth of Christ and the coming of the three wise men.
That’s why January 5 is considered the last day to take down your decorations, although many consider Christmas to be done and dusted well before then.
Although the increased focus on gifts has put December 25 at the forefront of the Christian festival, many still see the subsequent days as a sacred period too.
