With Thanksgiving just around the corner, TikTok is officially in Christmas mode, with users sharing how they plan to celebrate the holidays. But one TikToker was left a little bit taken aback after being informed about the concept of a “Tacky Christmas.”
In the clip, which has amassed 2 million views, Octavia (@real.octavia) shared how her daughter came to her and announced that she wanted to do a “Tacky Christmas” this year. “Mind you, when my kids were little, I had tried to make the tree kind of like what I had when I was growing up,” she explained.
“But trees are fancier these days, and they look a little different than what I had growing up. And so, we’ve been kind of on that, you know, train right there, nice little Christmas trees, whatever. As a matter of fact, the one we had last year had lights built in. It was great.”
But when her daughter encouraged her to look up “Tacky Christmas” on TikTok, she was shocked by what she found. “That’s what I had growing up. How was that tacky? I thought that was the cutest thing,” she said. “I loved my Christmas tree growing up. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I didn’t know there was a name for it.”
@real.octavia What is a tacky Christmas? #christmas #tackychristmas #tackychristmaslights #tackychristmasdecorations #what #tacky ♬ original sound – RealOctavia
What exactly is ‘Tacky Christmas’?
In short, “Tacky Christmas” is a decorating style guided by the philosophy “more is more.” It involves bright colors, sparkles, and piling as much festive stuff as possible inside and outside your home. It doesn’t necessarily match or look aesthetic, but as TikToker @athomewithsyro puts it, “Christmas trees are not supposed to be classy and minimalist: it’s supposed to look like JOY has thrown up in your house.”
@athomewithsyro GIVE ME ALL THE JOYFUL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS! I have been collecting @christopherradkoco ornaments for over 30 years, and honestly, I will never get over how beautiful they are. While I admire soft Christmas decor, it may surprise you to find out nas that I subscribe to a “more is more” esthetic when it comes to Christmas; it’s not about matching my decor. For me, it’s about the joy of the season, and nothing says that quite like tons of color, especially Christmas red. #nostalgicchristmas #classicchristmas #christmastree #christmasdecor ♬ original sound – athomewithsyro
In the comments section of Octavia’s video, viewers were pretty protective of what constitutes a “Tacky Christmas.”
“Not me looking up tacky Christmas to find it’s just Christmas decorations that aren’t all matching and themed or expensive,” one wrote.
“I’ve never NOT done Tacky Christmas,” another admitted.
“The paper chain link garland is truly my childhood,” a third wrote. “Can’t believe it’s ‘tacky’.”
A fourth wrote, “I’ve done Tacky Christmas my whole life apparently. we buy a new ornament every year so none of ours match.”
Meanwhile, in response to a commenter who realized their tree was “tacky,” Octavia wrote: “We can’t listen to these new age people and their fancy stuff they get together! I like the old way.”
Octavia and @athomewithsyro didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
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