Brandy Jesperson
All of us at Paper Crafts eat lunch together every day. When I first started working here I thought this was a bit odd. Okay, maybe odd isn’t the right word. Let’s just say I found this practice to be unexpected.
Prior to working at Paper Crafts, I’d worked for a TV station so lunch time was when everyone would close their office doors and watch the news or the latest episode of Days of Our Lives. I’ll admit to being somewhat sucked into the plot of this cheesy soap opera, but as an excuse I was working for an NBC affiliate and couldn’t very well change the channel! However, now I can’t imagine lunch any other way than with my co-workers and friends.
Today was an extra special lunch because we were able to visit with our cute summer 2008 intern, Ms. Kalyn Kepner. Kalyn is visiting from Pennsylvania and met us for lunch. We all had lots of fun catching up with Kalyn and exchanging our usual team banter.
One particular topic of conversation: Christmas decorations. I typically put up my Christmas decorations days after Halloween. I’m a little crazy like that. In fact, my neighbors’ and friends’ gifts are already purchased and wrapped in their cute kraft and orange packaging. Like I said, I’m Christmas crazy! Jennifer begins setting things out on Nov. 1, but everything isn’t completely Christmas-fied until later in the month. (As a side note, I can hear Christmas music drifting from Jennifer’s office as we speak!) Cath however has strict guidelines and will not put out her holiday decorations until the Thanksgiving feast has been enjoyed by all.
The Paper Crafts offices aren’t decorated yet, but Santa’s elves have been busy snatching up hot pink, lime green and red ornaments. As a team we’re decorating a tree for a fundraiser called the Festival of Trees. We donate a decorated tree that is later auctioned off. All the money earned goes to the patients at a local children’s hospital and the person who purchases the tree gets a one-of-a-kind creation to decorate their home. Here’s a little sneak peek of some of the ornaments we’ve purchased. Stay tuned for a pic of the final product in a few weeks!
I {heart} Christmas…and IKEA!
It seems most people have pretty strong opinions about the whole when-to-decorate topic. So, I’d like to make you all honorary Paper Crafts lunch ladies. If you were eating lunch with us today (which is WAY COOLER than watching Days of Our Lives, by the way), when would you say you begin decorating your abode for the holidays? Leave me a comment and I’ll randomly select one winner to receive this assortment of product generously donated by K&Company. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
One lucky winner will take home K&Company's Evergreen collection!
Yours in holiday gladness,
Brandy
The second weekend in December is our time for decoration.
This year I’m due for a baby Dec 15, So maybe a little before Thanksgiving get things ready so I can enjoy it
At the beginning of December sometime…mostly due to laziness on my part!
Thanksgiving day! After the turkey and all are put away…the Lyons game is over…up goes the tree….Of course it takes me a few days to get it all done…LOVE this time of year!
I love to decorate the second week of Dec. It isn’t TOO early and it isn’t TOO late….it is right when school would start to slow down (as a teacher–that was important!). Thanks for the giveaway:)
I don’t decorate for x-mas bc I don’t celebrate. Heck, I just finished my fall decorations three weeks ago!! If I win, I have a gal pal who would love the prize!!
We start decorating for Xmas after Thanksgiving. I feel like Thanksgiving is lost, in between the mad rush of Halloween and Christmas, so I like to give Thanksgiving its due (plus eat somemore pumpkin pie
So by the time we get our act together, it’s usually early Dec. – taking down all the orange/fall decos to move into the red/green.
Thanks for the chance to win!
We’ll start decorating the house and the outside at the beginning of December, usually on a weekend! We put our tree up about two weeks before Christmas. It’s fun to enjoy it for a little while before the holiday!
Jingle bells at the beginning of December!!!!!
What a beautiful kit! We start decorating the day after Thanksgiving-usually right after breakfast!
I don’t decorate at all but I say put them out whenever it makes you happy. Thanks for the chance to win,
I usually don’t decorate until after Thanksgiving. But I might change that this year. The last couple of years we’ve lived in an apartment and all our Christmas stuff was in another location. Now that I have all my holiday decor in one place, I may start early so that I can open it all up and enjoy like it’s new all over again! It will be like visiting with old friends!
I like to start with my Advent wreath and a few decorations. Then, on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (ie 2nd Sunday before Christmas) I’ll put out more decorations. And we decorate our tree on Christmas Eve and live it up until Epiphany (Jan 6th). =)
My usual time to decorate is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Last year we were going to be out of town and had other stuff going on so I decorated the second weekend of Nov. so we could enjoy the season longer. By the middle of Dec. I was ready for it all to come down so I will definitely go back to “after Thanksgiving” – LOL!!
I love to start my holiday decorating on 1 December by putting the tree up then decorating the house. That way i am always finding things to add along the way making the holiday seem like it runs all month long!
Our house is in Christmas mode all year long. My children have teased me about being an elf and i honestly cannot think of our book cases and banisters without greenery and decorations of some sort.. (colors change, but all Christmas flavors) I admit, it must be an illness.. LOVE CHRISTMAS
Oh, Thanksgiving weekend for sure. I have 4 days off and that is the perfect time to get all the decorations out and put up – it takes at least a day!
Even though it seems like the retail stores are starting their Christmas decorating earlier and earlier each year we don’t start decorating until the 1st week in December. We used to decorate the entire house (indoors and out) as well as put up the tree all in one week but it was exhausting. Now we break it up into smaller parts throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas and we all enjoy it much more. It gives us time to slow down and truly enjoy the magic and spirit of the holiday.
What a wonderful prize package! The beginning of December I start with the decorations. The week before Christmas the tree goes up and stays until Epiphany. Christmas card making and homemade gifts start now!
Right after Thanksgiving is when we get all decorated!
Some of my neighbors have their trees up already- kind of freakin’ me out! TOO MUCH PRESSURE! hehehe!
One of my most favorite decorations is to put a candle in each window of our home. Our tradition is to turn them on as well as the rope lighting along the roofline for the first time as it gets dark on Thanksgiving evening. The rest of the decorating just gets done whenever, but usually the first part of December.
Great prize, thanks for a chance to win!!
I see from a lot of comments that I fall into the Thanksgiving time frame. I usually put my tree up the week end after, BUT my outdoor decorations go up anytime in November when the weather is warm. I just don’t turn them on until the tree goes up! ( I just don’t like going outside when the weather is cold…lol )
Wow I really love K&company products.
Thanks for the chance to win the give-away.
I don’t have a set day to start decorating for Christmas. I go by my moods and gradually bring the bling out. Then it is not a big job all at once and it is part of the winter season not just about Christmas Day. They are separate subjects to decorate for. I love this time of year so I like to savor everything about it and make it last.
I don’t like to start decorating the house until after Thanksgiving..it kind of bugs me that the commercial rush begins that evening of Halloween (in my area…I saw my first Christmas commercial on Halloween evening. I do make Christmas cards well before Thanksgiving, but the decorations wait.
I begin preparing after Rememberance Day (in Canada Nov.11) but I don’t do the actual decorating extravaganza until the first weekend of December. Then it’s an all out event with the Christmas music, snacks, and cider. Every room gets hit with some festive touches. Thanks for the chance to win the great K&Company products. If I’m the lucky winner I will have to decorate a week earlier so I can have more time to do paper crafting!
I like to decorate a little bit each day but generally don’t start until the first weekend in December. The tree goes up the weekend before Christmas itself. I want to savor the enjoyment and feeling that Christmas is coming but I also want to keep it simple and uncomplicated.
Although presents may be purchased pre-Thanksgiving, Christmas decor and carols are taboo in our household until after Thanksgiving dinner has been finished.
I will start decorating a few days after Thanksgiving. I can’t wait. The tree probably won’t go up until the 1st weekend of Dec.
P.S. – this giveaway is amazing.
I always wait until Thanksgiving weekend to put my tree and outside decorations up. However, since I am getting older and slower, I might do it a week earlier this year since Thanksgiving is about a week later this year. Thanks for the chance to win such a generous giveaway.
We try to decorate on “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving). While everyone else is crowding the stores, we stay home and decorate. (Maybe do some “internet” shopping too for Christmas presents!)
Thanks for the great “blog candy”….LOVE this one!!!! 
We celebrate St. Nick’s Day in early December….so usually we start after Thanksgiving and have it mostly done by St. Nick’s Day!
I start thinking about Christmas in October, but no decorating happens until December – whenever the tree gets here.
I like to have all my decorations, lights, tree etc…up and in place by Dec 1. Then I start my Christmas shopping. I know…it’s so late to START shopping~~~Lord help me!
I usually decorate in early December. This year, I’m going to decorate before Thanksgiving since all my in-laws will be in town for a wedding celebration.
Thanks for a chance to win some goodies!
WOW! It’s the mega giveaway for Chistmas!
Those scrapping goodies would sure come in handy for my cards this year! I love K & Company!!!
I usually decorate after 20th December…
We start decorating for Christmas on December 6th, since this is a celebration called Sinterklaas in The Netherlands. This is the general tradition over here.
Ooohhhh!! PRETTY!! I usually start to decorate shortly after Thanksgiving. Sometimes it depends on how busy my day job is though – we waiting until the week before Christmas one year – it was fun that way too because we spent more time visiting and partying than we did staying home!
We start the Friday after Thanksgiving. I have been wanting to start earlier, but my husband says we have to wait. I have talked him into starting the lights earlier if bad weather is on the forecast though!
well i love this give away too nice i usually decorate about 4 days away from christmas takelots of pictures and drink hot cocoa
always a fun time for the holidays
If all goes as planned….I like having my decorating done before Dec 1st so I can sit back and enjoy it….
Decorating begins sometime in the first week of December for our family. Thanks for offering the giveaway. I’d definitely love to make this my first Christmas present to me–maybe I’d even put it under the tree and wait to open it on Christmas. . .NOT!!!
I think decorating anytime before Thanksgiving is too soon. Ever since I was little my parents always put up Christmas decorations on my birthday which is Dec 4. So it is tradition now for my family to get the Christmas tree all set up on my birthday. It’s a fun way to celebrate your birthday!
We are sooo ready to decorate now. New house and a four year old…we are def in the spirit and feel totally blessed for what we have!!!
We make it part of our Thanksgiving tradition. Usually the Saturday or Sunday of that weekend we put up the outside lights and deck the halls on the inside
When my children were growing up, we always went out on Thanksgiving weekend to pick out our tree. We went to cut it about 2 weeks before Christmas. One year we put it up earlier and it got dangerously dry! Scary–so that year we had 2 trees–not as much fun taking all the decorations off and putting back on the 2nd time! Artificial tree now and decorating is always after Thanksgiving is done!
I usually start decorating 2 or 3 wks before Christmas. I usually use the same theme from year to year with a couple of new decorations thrown in.
I guess my family’s a little weird…we don’t put out or decorations until the middle of December! I like it that way, though. Then I’m not waiting 2 months for Christmas with all the decorations everywhere! I’m a little impatient like that.
The gift shop litterally throws itself at my house for Christmas! I love it and all the holiday brings. The warmth, friends, family and happiness in giving. Decorations begin to come out about now and finish with stage 1 by Thanksgiving. Then the tree is put up a couple of weeks before Christmas, fresh cut preferred. If I am having Thanksgiving, I do hold back so as not to shortchange the holiday. Oh, have to go get some decorations out and get some cookies baking! Merry Christmas!
I start decorating the house a couple of days before Thanksgiving, which is the tree.