Down Goes the Christmas Tree
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121589)
Gainesville, Florida
January 10, 2024 8:09pm CST
It's not so terribly far into January that I felt guilty about my Christmas tree still being up inside my house, but I did figure it was finally time to take it down and get rid of it. After all, my girlfriend and daughter took all the lights, ornaments and decorations off of the tree a week ago. Talk about procrastination.
But I do have a halfway valid reason. Every time I had some free time, it would be raining, and I certainly am not going to haul away a tree in the rain.
Tonight I got home from a dinner meetup with an old college buddy of mine, and I took one look at the Christmas tree when I walked in the door and saw how dead and bare it really looks. "That thing is going out of my house right this instant" I thought to myself, and before I could talk myself out of it, I was dragging it through the house and out the front door to my truck, leaving a massive trail of pine needles behind me (and trust me I was not happy about sweeping and vacuuming all those needles up from throughout the house). Yes, yes, I could have gotten one of those bags you use to seal up the tree before disposing so it keeps all the pine needles from getting everywhere. But what's the fun of that? Way too easy if you ask me.
And people say artificial trees are so much easier than real trees. Hah! Next year, I'm switching back to a real tree!
.
.
.
.
.
Just kidding of course! It was a real tree, well, at least based on the amount of sap I have on my hands and the amount of pine needles in my hair and clothes.
My poor house looks so bare now. I'm thinking of getting a Valentines tree or something.
Have you taken down your Christmas tree yet? If so, how soon (or how far) after Christmas did you take it down?
Photo is from Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
18 people like this
20 responses
@wolfgirl569 (106323)
• Marion, Ohio
11 Jan
I use artificial trees and took it down right after New Year's
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (106323)
• Marion, Ohio
11 Jan
@moffittjc If I went by that mine would stay up then 
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (106323)
• Marion, Ohio
12 Jan
@moffittjc Get an artificial and decorate it for each season
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
@wolfgirl569 If I had my way, I would keep mine up for a very long time. But unfortunately real Christmas trees don’t last forever.
1 person likes this
@porwest (90912)
• United States
11 Jan
It has been decades since I have had a real tree. In fact, the only time we ever did have real trees was when I was a kid. I am just fine with the artificial one, and I mean, I only paid $80 for it probably 15 years ago, so no need to fork out money every year for a new one. Cleanup is easy. But yes, it's down since about a week ago and we only left it up longer since we had our Christmas gathering on the 1st. In fact, all of our Christmas decor inside and out are all put away now.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan
@porwest Usually that’s the case for me too, but this year has been very unusual with the amount of rain we have been getting. We knew we were in for a wet winter due to El Niño, but it’s been way more than we ever expected.
(It’s raining again today as I write this comment)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
I’ve slowly been taking down all my yard decorations and lights on the house, but I’m only about halfway through. So at night the outside Christmas lights still come on (they’re on a timer). Sadly, every time I have free time to work on taking the rest of the stuff down, it rains. In fact, I plan on working on it again this evening batter work, but it looks like we have another round of bad storms coming this afternoon.
1 person likes this
@porwest (90912)
• United States
13 Jan
@moffittjc We got lucky this year and had a small window of opportunity to do it all and we pounced.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89883)
• Arvada, Colorado
11 Jan
Mine is still up a little bitty one..insignificant.
Love the photo so lovely.
2 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (89883)
• Arvada, Colorado
11 Jan
@moffittjc Til at least the last week of January
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jan
I wish I could have a tree as big and nice as the one in Animal Kingdom!
How long do you plan on keeping your tree up?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
@RebeccasFarm If my real tree hadn’t started browning and dropping needles, I probably would have left mine up another week or so.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
I like the feel of sap…all stuck in your hands and all over your clothes and in your hair.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Jan
@TheHorse Well, given that you live at least part of your life in some cabin in the woods somewhere in a state that may or may not actually exist, you probably are a man of the earth.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (218890)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Jan
@moffittjc Exactly. I feel like a man of the earth.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jan
I think I’m still going to keep putting a tree up long after my kids have moved out. I think it’s a lot of fun.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
@Bensen32 Totally understand that. A lot of people feel that same way. My parents stopped decorating for Christmas when my brother and I moved out, but I made them start again when my kids were born.
1 person likes this
@Bensen32 (27610)
• United States
11 Jan
@moffittjc Yeah I know people that do but I was never into Christmas so just did it for the kids.
2 people like this
@mildredtabitha (16126)
• Nairobi, Kenya
11 Jan
Nice kidding we also use a real tree for Christmas. But last December, we did not set up a Christmas tree or do any decorations.
we also use a real tree for Christmas. But last December, we did not set up a Christmas tree or do any decorations.2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
Did you still celebrate Christmas even though you did not set up a tree or decorations?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan
@mildredtabitha Celebrating the holiday with family is a great way to celebrate. Just being together. What a great gift. What kind of soda did you enjoy?
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16126)
• Nairobi, Kenya
12 Jan
@moffittjc Yes we did. We ate together as a family and enjoyed a bottle of soda everyday for two weeks.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
Yes, until next year. I wish it would get here sooner rather than later.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (68043)
• United States
11 Jan
When it comes to trees, as Walter Brooke said in The Graduate, “Just one word….PLASTICS.” When I was a kid my dad would take it down Christmas afternoon. 
How about a Daytona 500 tree?
When I was a kid my dad would take it down Christmas afternoon.
How about a Daytona 500 tree? 2 people like this
@FourWalls (68043)
• United States
12 Jan
@moffittjc — with restrictor plates, of course.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
How exactly would one decorate a Daytona 500 tree? (Which I’m not opposed to)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan
@FourWalls Restrictor plates! That’s hilarious. But it will slow my Christmas tree down!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jan
My living room looks bare now that I took my tree out. I had a pretty big tree, a thick 12-footer.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
@Juliaacv It was a huge tree, but I have very tall cathedral ceilings in my house, so larger trees actually look better in my home.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471547)
• Switzerland
11 Jan
@moffittjc I did ot know, but I am glad that they are recycled.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jan
A lot of people will do that here too. Christmas trees make great homes for fish!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Jan
@LadyDuck There is a small forest beyond the meadow behind my house. I just recycle my Christmas tree by taking it out and putting it in the woods.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (79886)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
11 Jan
I only had a small tree that I put away at the beginning of January. In Latvia we kept out tree up until January 6 which is Three Kings Day,
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (79886)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
13 Jan
@moffittjc I only have a small artificial tree which I put up as a symbol of the holiday and put it away at the beginning of January,
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
I’ve had several people comment about keeping their tree up until Three Kings Day. How come you don’t keep it up until then anymore?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Jan
@RasmaSandra I would probably be more apt to take mine down on time if I had an artificial tree. Much easier to deal with than a real one.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41433)
• United States
11 Jan
You're not so late. Some people here leave their trees up until January 6, Old Christmas. There's a family who lives about 15 miles from us who for many years have hung a gigantic candy cane from the branch of a tree in their yard. When we see it, we say Christmas is here and then it's not over until they take it down.
Unfortunately, they've taken to leaving it up entirely too long.
2 people like this
@1creekgirl (41433)
• United States
12 Jan
@moffittjc I'm impressed. A lot of pressure to keep to the schedule.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan
@1creekgirl It’s funny, even when I deviate from the schedule the rest of my neighbors still follow along. Lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
I am the Christmas season trend setter in my community. I am the first to put my yard decorations up, and the last to take them down!
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44537)
• Staten Island, New York
11 Jan
Why can't we keep the tree up all of winter? That's what I would do. Some actually keep it all year round and decorate it based on what holiday it is. Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, etc. But then I'd reckon it's an artificial tree.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
I agree, we should be able to keep up the tree throughout the entire winter!
And if I had an artificial tree, I would love to keep it up year-round and change the decorations based on the seasons.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178805)
• United States
11 Jan
Our tree was put away right after New Year's. I hate cleaning up needles. I'm glad we have an artificial tree. That's a lovely tree at Disney World. Have a good evening.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
I don’t mind cleaning up the needles, as I have wood flooring and it’s real easy to sweep or vacuum them up. But if I had carpet it would probably be a pain in the butt.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (37355)
• Toccoa, Georgia
11 Jan
I put my Christmas decorations away 2 days ago on January 9th.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
That’s right about the time I started putting mine away. But for me it will be a slow process of a week or two since I have a ton of outside decorations to take down. Maybe longer since it keeps raining every time I have free time to work on it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan
I was still at Disney World until January 3rd, so mine had not choice but to wait until after then to come down. Usually, I'll take down all my Christmas decorations the week after we get back from Disney, but this year has been unusual in that it has been storming just about every weekend, and on weekdays when I had free time to take everything down. So, getting it all down has been a slow process.
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
11 Jan
My tree is still on the balcony. I'm thinking about leaving it up. I have the small fiber optic on and will turn it off at the end of January and put the decorations on it away.
I like the picture of the massive tree at Walt Disney World. Beautiful.
It's always sad when the trees come down and the decorations put away for another year.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
@just4him I agree. It’s like signaling that the season of peace, love and joy is over and reality sets back in where everyone goes back to being sucky people. Lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jan
I always get sad when I have to take my tree down, which I think is part of the reason I leave it up so long.
2 people like this
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
11 Jan
@moffittjc It's like the joy is gone and reality has taken over again.
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (19949)
• United States
16 Jan
lol I didn't pull out the tabletop tree, but my mother did. She said that she would out it back in the box, but it was still out for a few days until I put it up. It was a few days after New Years.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Jan
A few days after new years seems like the appropriate time to put away the Christmas decorations.
@Dena91 (16636)
• United States
11 Jan
We never had a real tree, just an artificial one. I gave that to the Salvation Army about 8-10 years ago and have been using a small ceramic one since, like the one in the picture. Mike and I like. It takes less than 5 minutes to put it in or take it out of the box 
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jan
I always wondered what I would do when my kids were fully grown and out of the house, but honestly I’ll probably keep putting up a tree and decorating my yard for as long as I am physically capable.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
Even without a tree you found a way to decorate and be festive. I used to do that when I was a student at the university.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121589)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jan
@dya80dya Do you plan on decorating for Christmas this year (2024)?
1 person likes this
@dya80dya (36657)
•
12 Jan
@moffittjc Yes. Last year we didn't have any decorations.
1 person likes this
