Many Alabamians and others across the country are turning their homes into a candy cane kingdom, gingerbread castle or winter wonderland, with or without the snow. Some people start decorating for the holidays as early as Halloween. This can be a hot topic with the ongoing debate of when is it too early to start putting up the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations.
The landscaping and research company LawnStarter looked into this discussion and other holiday traditions. The results are published in its 2023 Holiday Décor Trends.
Researchers surveyed participants on their plans for hosting gatherings and their decorating budgets to embellishing their homes. They also looked into when people planned on putting up Christmas trees and when it’s acceptable to start decorating for the holidays.
Sav Maive is a staff writer at LawnStarter. She said the majority of the people surveyed said it's too early to decorate before Thanksgiving. That’s compared to about one fourth of respondents who said it's too soon to do so before December first.
“I think the time period between Thanksgiving and December is really popular for decorating,” she explained. “Because stores do start selling Christmas decorations well before Thanksgiving. I think that the spirit of Turkey Day kind of sparks an excitement to decorate for the upcoming winter holidays.”
Maive also said the younger groups between the ages of twenty-five to thirty-four are the most likely to decorate for the holidays and play host.
“A lot of those folks are first time homeowners or people who might be living on their own home for the first time and want to invite their friends and family to make memories in their home,” she said. “I also think that there are a lot of young families in that age group who want to make it a special season for their kiddos.”
Below are more findings from LawnStarter’s 2023 Holiday Décor Trends survey:
Which parts of your home do you decorate for the holidays?
• Over half of those below the age of 55 make their front yard festive for the holidays.
• Respondents aged 25 to 34 are most likely — 30% — to doll up their backyards with decorations.
•When do you take down your holiday decorations?
• Festive folk between 35 and 44 years old are least likely to procrastinate over taking down their decorations, with 30.7% clearing them out the day after their respective holiday ends.
• 55.6% of respondents with a doctorate degree take down their decorations the day after the holiday ends.
How much do you plan to spend on holiday decorations?
• Those aged 55 and older are less likely to purchase holiday decorations, with many planning to buy nothing or spend no more than $50.
• Adults between 25 and 34 are most likely to splurge on decorations, with 9.2% budgeting over $50
Which holiday decorations do you plan to purchase?
• More women plan to buy ornaments as gifts for others (27.3%) than for themselves (20.8%).
• Outdoor displays — like inflatable snowmen or carved wooden characters — are most popular among the 45 to 54 and under 34 age groups.
• Among those aged 55 to 64, wreaths are over 5X more popular than outdoor displays.
Respondents aged 25 to 54 are more likely to purchase ornaments as presents for others than for themselves.
