How long do you keep your tree up?
By dloveli
@dloveli (4366)
United States
December 24, 2009 6:44am CST
I put my tree up in the first week of December. By the time Christmas comes, I have had enough of looking at it by then so it is usually down right after the gifts are opened. I dont rush it. I just wait for the girls to be setting up their rooms. No one ever complains except for my husband. He is puerto rican so they celebrate the THREE KINGS which is the 5th-6th of January. He always tries to get me to keep it up. I like to get it down ASAP! My tree is down, decorations put away for next year by the day after Christmas at the very latest. I have purchased this adorable small 6 inch christmas tree with mini decorations and lights to be kept up until after the 6th of January just for him. See all is well. Bring on 2010. How long is your tree up?
2 people like this
21 responses
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
25 Dec 09
WOW! That is a LOOOOOOOng time. Dont you get sick of looking at it. Is it a real tree? It must be tough towards the end to keep it alive. My husband celebrates The Three Kings as well. If he had his way he'd keep it up until then as well. I used to put my tree up the day after THanksgiving. I then finally moved into my own home so I started to purchase real trees so I began to get it around the first week or two of december. I take it down ASAP. One year I had it all cleaned up by 8:30 a.m. Christmas morning. I dont play around. I just want it over. lol Time to begin another year. Nevertheless I want to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. dl
@calai618 (1773)
• Philippines
25 Dec 09
We put up our tree when September comes and put it down around 2nd week of January (or right after Three Kings). It's really a nice feeling to have it around because the mood goes light becaus of the CHristmas spirit. it is actually pretty normal to hear people putting up their Christmas tree as early s September here in the Philippines. :D
1 person likes this
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
25 Dec 09
Are you kidding me? September? Wow! You must really love Christmas. I understand what you were saying about having it around to prolong the Christmas spirit but that is a long long time my friend. I have never heard of anyone doing this. You certainly get Christmas going bright and early. You know what? As I was thinking about you and your family's tradition, I couldnt help but think how helpful that must be to be able to have the nostalgia of Christmas hanging around if you need it. Thanks for sharing. Happy Holidays. dl
@calai618 (1773)
• Philippines
25 Dec 09
Like what I said, it is not rare to see Christmas trees at September here in our country. You should visit here around that time and you will hear Christmas carols everywhere especially on radios, malls and supermarkets. you will even notice streets lighting up already because Christmas lights are already put to trees around the city. September is the start of the "-ber" months and in the Philippines it means Christmas already :D People starts buying gifts already because bazzars start to appear. SeptemBER is like the indication that people can start preparing for Christmas already. I dont know if it's because we are majorly a Christian Catholic country (I dont really know if other Catholic countries are like this) but I guess it' just part of our culture. We love Christmas so much and it's always nice to have the Christmas spirit around. :D
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
3 Jan 10
We don't have a tree in our little tiny apartment because of the size of the place, the fact that we live in the basement (who wants to lug a tree up and down the stairs?) and the fact that we have a cat who would only rip off the decorations and climb the tree.
However, when I lived at home, we had a real tree every year, and we always burnt it in our big fireplace on New Year's day.
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
3 Jan 10
That sounds sooo cool! Burning it sounds wonderful. The smell of pine must have been wonderful. I like the smell of a fireplace and the pine would be a great once a year treat. For me the smell of pine can be too much. So once a year would be perfect. I also like the fact that you dont have to worry about the disposal of it. That is always a pain. But not for you. Thanks for sharing. I think people with fireplaces will be happy to try it. As for your not having a tree, when I had my first apartment it was just me and my baby daughter. The apartment was a studio. I had this tiny tree that couldnt have been more than 6 inches high. I bought tiny lights and bulbs. Mostly I made them. It was the best tree I ever had. The memories alone are wonderful. Next year try it. GO to a craft store and im sure they have small trees for doll houses and some a little bigger for Christmas scenes. Then you can make your own memories. Just a thought. Happy New Year Danish! dl
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
28 Dec 09
We normally put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving. We started putting our tree up that soon after I lost my brother. That way it's up and done with in case something happens. Then it comes down the day after Christmas. I think I have more fun taking everything down than putting it all up. Luckily my husband didn't do the lights outside, they are pretty, I just don't like the electric bill we get during this time. Heck, I don't even want to look at it, from having a tree and lights going up the stairs and turning up my heat 3 degrees.
@grecychunny26 (9483)
• Philippines
28 Dec 09
We build our Christmas tree during December 16 , also the start of dawn mass or mass of the roaster also known as Simbang Gabi. My mom always do it during that day. It stands until three kings, this year Three kings will on January 3, so after January 3 our tree will be keep again in our cabinets. We do have the same schedule.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
13 Jan 10
Traditionally in my family, we put up our Christmas tree at the start of December and then take it down at the start of January. Usually the first or the second. This year we were away for Christmas and noticed that my parents and sister, who we stayed with during our trip, each took theirs down a couple of days after Christmas.
This year I only just took ours down as we were away as I mentioned, so it was here waiting for us still as if Christmas had never came to it! 
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
25 Dec 09
I put mine up a week after Thanksgiving and I take it down 3 or 4 days after Christmas, as I live alone and work a lot cause I'm never home.
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
24 Dec 09
As far as I know its supposed to stay up until January 6th of the following year. It does have to do with the arrival of the three kings in Bethlehem. I guess not everyone follows that tradition but I think that is the official thing. You can keep it up for as long as you want, of course. Some people leave the tree there until the end of January.
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
25 Dec 09
My tree is the first in my seven years of being married. Hard to believe but true, that someone like me who had been wishing to put up her own tree but was not able to do so in the past because it is so expensive, has finally done it after so long. And what's even funnier is this 6 ft tall secondhand but looking-like-new plastic tree came from a friend who sold it to me at an unbelievably cheap price! Well, it has been standing there in a corner since the first week of November and it had to be taken down first week of January or it will soon be full of dust! 
Merry Christmas my friend!
Merry Christmas my friend!
@froggieslover (3069)
• United States
25 Dec 09
We put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving and then we will normally keep it up until the weekend after New Years....
@happy6162 (3001)
• United States
25 Dec 09
I put our Christmas tree up the weekend before Christmas and take it down the first weekend in January. It is what my parents used to do so I just kept doing it the same way. I know lots of people who put their Christmas tree up right after Thanksgiving and then it comes down the day after Christmas for the same reason you take yours down.
@hunieby (207)
• Philippines
25 Dec 09
Well, you'll be surprised to hear that our christmas tree has been up the whole year round hehehe. I haven't gotten the time to put it down or was just too lazy to do it.The christmas balls are orange and blue though so it complements the color of our living room sofa. I should probably take it down before three kings this year.
@washingtonmark (367)
• United States
25 Dec 09
Our tree is not really a tree at all, but a piece of plastic.
It will probably stay up till the middle of January or so.
@dangtrinh0612 (31)
• Vietnam
26 Dec 09
My family usually put the trees up in the end of November, and keep it til the end of January ;)
It's odd, I know, but it makes our living room warmer, and the guests like the trees (beautiful white one), so why not letting it a bit longer?
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
24 Dec 09
Well we have a fake tree so I can put it yup any time but we like to get it up around the first of Novermber and the outside decorations too.
Take down some time after the first of the year sometimes the middle of JAn. as we love Christmas time so much
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
24 Dec 09
As far back as I remember we have always kept our decoration up until the Twelfth Day of Christmas, which is the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. I never could understand the American way of starting Christmas just after Thanksgiving with the Malls and Christmas Music starting so soon. We usually put up decorations and the lighting of the tree was on Christmas Eve and we too got to open one present.
I love your story of your Grandma really surprising you. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
@aidenw (632)
• United States
24 Dec 09
i usually put my tree up in the first week of december and take it down a few days or a week at most after new year.
@syankee525 (6261)
• United States
24 Dec 09
we take down or tree right after christmas since we got a small house, but we'll leave it up until after new years this year since we're having family over and plus i cant get to my outside stuff due to snow is covering them all
@savypat (20216)
• United States
24 Dec 09
My tree goes up after Thansgiving and comes down on New Years day. That is the day I also set up my calendar with all the family birthdays for that New Year. Hubby watches football.
