When Should You Put Up Those Outdoor Christmas Lights?

Have you seen any yet?

I'm talking about those houses that light up every holiday season. You know, those houses you drive by and think 'I should put up some lights too, but not right now. I'll get to it'. And you wait and wait and wait, and then...

Well, somehow it just doesn't get done.

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So the question is: What day is the best day to string up those outdoor Christmas lights? And maybe more than just lights. Maybe reindeer up on the roof and Frosty standing out on the lawn. Heck, maybe go the whole Griswald route and really make the neighbors talk.

Of course, there is no one perfect day. See that picture up there, the house with the string of lights along the edge of the roof?

That's my son's house down in Nebraska. He sent me that picture yesterday, less than a week after Halloween. I thought he was crazy, that's waaay too early! My gosh, maybe the day after Thanksgiving, but now? No!

He called and said hold on pops, don't blow a gasket. He and his wife Brenda and the boys just moved into the house earlier this year and he just wanted to see what they'd look like. He told me the temperature was in the 60s, and how many days like that would there be left before the real cold sets in?

So, he strung them up, turned them on, and took a picture. Then, off they went until probably after Thanksgiving.

Oh, ok. And yeah, those warmish days may be coming to an end, so I get it. 'Make hay while the sun shines', as the saying goes. Better to do the ladder and stringing thing while it's nice rather than breezy and 15.

So that brings up the original question: What's the best day to crank up those outdoor Christmas lights? The best time to turn 'em on? I'm going with the day after Thanksgiving. How about you?