How Early is Too Early for Fall Decor? Here’s the Deal

Much like with winter and Christmas decor, people have many differing opinions regarding how early is too early to put up fall decor. These opinions may be informed by the calendar, the specific holidays they celebrate, or their favorite season. However, when you look at these factors all together, there’s an easy date to pick.

Admittedly, I am a fall person. My own space has Halloween decorations up year-round because it’s my favorite holiday. But even if we take my own biases out of the equation, there are a few other calendar-related dates that help to nail down the appropriate window for beginning to put up your fall decorations.

Fall Holidays

There are numerous holidays in the fall, but these three spring to mind first:

• Labor Day (the first Monday in September)
• Halloween (Oct. 31)
• Thanksgiving (the last Thursday in November)

If you’re like me, you also celebrate a few extra fall holidays. One that sits at the very beginning of August is Lughnasadh. Per the New World Encyclopedia, this is a “Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season.” While it was traditionally celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, it’s found other revelers in Neopagans, Wiccans, Celtic Reconstructionists, and others. Since I’m celebrating a harvest festival at the beginning of August, it makes sense to mark the day by putting up fall decorations.

How early is too early for fall decor?

With these holidays in mind, early August makes the most sense as the beginning of the acceptable time to put up your fall decor. In addition to the revelry, it’s back-to-school season, signalling the end of summer vacation. It’s also the beginning of the harvest season, and we often associate harvest motifs with autumn. Any earlier than early August would probably be seen as too early by most (but to each their own).

Objections

Any decor-themed opinion is going to receive pushback. I’ve got a few rebuttals to some of the most common ones in the early fall decor debate.

Why not wait for the fall equinox?

You could choose to wait for the fall equinox, or Mabon if you celebrate it the way I do. But that occurs around September 21, and September is a very fall-coded month to begin with. Waiting for the autumn equinox to put up your fall decorations feels a bit like waiting for Christmas Eve to put up your Christmas decor. Sure, you can do that, and I admittedly have no issue with that since I prefer Halloween to Christmas anyway, but the average person would likely agree that it’s a bit late in the season.

Why not wait for Labor Day?

Labor Day is the unofficial first day of fall, so it makes sense that many people use this as their guide. Pack away your white clothing and unpack your fall decorations, right? But Labor Day is a three-day weekend that you’re likely hoping to spend relaxing. Maybe you’re spending time with your friends and family, maybe you’re having a quiet day to yourself. Either way, there’s not really time to fit in unpacking and putting up decorations unless that’s something that you really love and you have no other plans. Isn’t it nicer to have that job already done so you can spend your time off enjoying the fresh decor?

What if I really love summer?

If you really love summer, I can’t stop you from leaving your decorations up until the last minute. It’s your space, and at the end of the day, you get to decide what makes you happy. But I can strongly suggest that you start transitioning your decorations so that you don’t have a ton of switching to do once the school year has started and the fall holidays are rolling.

Source

Lughnasadh, New World Encyclopedia.

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