Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is on the horizon. However, Christmas decorations and wrapping paper were in stores before Halloween was even over.

I set out to find out one of the biggest debates: is it acceptable to put the Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving?

Danielle Mercure, double major public relations and risk and crisis junior, said her family has never been big on Thanksgiving celebrations, and began to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah the day after her birthday, Nov. 9. 

After the holidays are over, rather than taking the Christmas tree, Mercure and her family turn the tree into a New Year’s tree, she said.

“It has the party blowers and whatever year sunglasses in it,” Mercure said. “We [will] put 2023 party hats on it and we wrap it in blue, gold and silver tinsel.”

Kelsey McGowen, apparel, merchandising, design, and textiles senior, said her family has always put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving, until she went to college. 

“We would come home for Thanksgiving and my mom wanted the tree up for everyone to enjoy the week for Thanksgiving,” McGowen said. “So I guess now before Thanksgiving.”

Will Tebb, construction management senior, said his fraternity live-out has a Christmas tree up year-round, but his mom puts the tree up the day after Thanksgiving at home.

“I’m more of a Christmas person because my family comes together and I get to see both sides during Christmas, so that’s pretty cool,” Tebb said.

Preston Bee, a business marketing junior, said his family doesn’t wait for Thanksgiving to put the Christmas tree up, and it doesn’t come down until around February. 

“So we actually put up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving because we always have Thanksgiving in our house,” Bee said. “So my mom always wants it to look nice and Christmasy.”

Kynseth Mann, civil engineering junior, said their family spends their Thanksgiving day putting up the Christmas tree, and then has the traditional Thanksgiving meal that evening.

“Usually we wake up and my dad makes waffles or pancakes and then throughout the day, we just decorate the house and put up the Christmas tree and do all the ornaments together as a family,” Mann said. 

While some people wait for Thanksgiving to be over before putting up a Christmas tree, others don’t. However, one thing stayed constant between everyone I talked to: Christmas was their favorite holiday.