DEAR ABBY: I have already decorated my office for the winter holidays, but my co-worker says before Thanksgiving is too early to display a snowman. When do you decorate for the holiday season? -- FESTIVE SOUTHERN GIRL
DEAR SOUTHERN GIRL: This year, in late September, I began seeing Christmas decorations in some stores, and references to Christmas layaway plans being mentioned in the media a few months before that. However, in a work environment I would wait until after the first week of December to begin displaying Christmas decorations.
P.S. If your snowman is a generic winter decoration, it might be appropriate to wait until after the first snowfall.