How long to you keep your Christmas decorations up?
@whiteheather39 (24403)
United States
February 28, 2007 11:49am CST
I just drove past a house not too far from where I live and he Christmas decorations were still up. Now this is one of these homes where the owner spares no expense. Decorations over the roof, the trees the front yard, every inch of space that can get electric power. At Christmas it looked wonderful but now I think it looks ridiculous. We always take our down on Jan 6th, The Three Kings holiday.
What do you think? When do you take yours down?
5 people like this
27 responses
@Eskimo (2315)
•
28 Feb 07
I always understood that the correct time to remove decorations was on Twelth night (that is 5th January), and they should be put up 12 days before Christmas, on December 13th. There seems to be a competition these days on how early they can be put up, occasionally I've seen them in November, usually around 29th or 30th.
One year I saw Christmas trees and decorations being sold in June.
3 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
28 Feb 07
I hate seeing Christmas in the stores before at least Thanksgiving and even thes it too soon for me. That to me is pure greed.
@ElementalDragon (156)
• United States
1 Mar 07
I've decided that the retailers are lying when they tell you Merry Christmas. What they should be saying is Merry Cashmas, which is their reason for the season, after all.
Yes, businesses are in business to make profits. I just feel they could do things a bit differently. On one hand, starting at or before Thanksgiving seems to belittle Thanksgiving, but on the other hand, at that point, they have less than one month before Christmas, and, from a retailer's point of view, Chritmas is a more financially lucrative holiday than Thanksgiving.
And I'm not saying that the individual employees are slavering at the mouth for holiday spending. After all, the rank and file generally don't see much of the profits that those sales bring in, unless it's a commission based pay scale.
My $0.02 at the moment.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
28 Feb 07
Lights on the roof that I can understand. This house has a huge santa, sleigh and reindeer all across the roof.
@cipher2004 (1183)
• United States
28 Feb 07
I take mine down the first weekend after New Years.I would think that they might be waiting for the weather to warm up if they are in a cold climate.Or maybe they are lazy.Do they still light it up?I am so tired after Christmas I just want my stuff gone.
3 people like this
@Karmalina (647)
• Australia
28 Feb 07
Uhoh... I don't really put them outside, but I just looked to my right and there's still a fully decorated mini Christmas tree on the counter... That's terrible of me I should probably take that down...
@LALI200380 (467)
• Romania
28 Feb 07
Here we put the decoration before christmas day and we take down maybe on 6 or 7 january.I like much decoration but i can t keep all the year this.Are so many holiday in one year like Hallowen and divers decoration for this.A....and valentine s day.....
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
28 Feb 07
No I don't think he has them lit but he has big wobbly snowmen on the front yard. ha ha xxx
@creativedreamweaver (7297)
• United States
28 Feb 07
Wow. I know what you mean though. There is a house on my corner that still has their tree up in their living room. You can see it as you drive past. I would take mine down the day after Christmas, if I could get away with it, but hubby won't let me. Usually they come down January 2nd at our house. I think it's ridiculous to leave them up longer than mid January. It's just laziness in my humble opinion.
2 people like this
@Alexandria37 (5717)
• Ireland
28 Feb 07
It has always been the tradition in our family, even when I was growing up, to take the decorations down on Little Christmas Day - 6th January. I recently drove through one of the smaller cities here in Ireland and noticed that some of the shops still had their decorations up. One shop even had them in the window. I think putting them up too early and leaving them up for so long, takes a lot of the excitement out of Christmas.
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
28 Feb 07
We usually have ours taken down by the end of January. Sometimes we leave our christmas lights up on the roof, but those are less noticeable and we usually keep those turned off. It's just easier not having to put those up constantly.
2 people like this
@flagbabygirl (891)
• United States
28 Feb 07
My outside light are still on the House (wow thats bad!) I do have the excuse that first my hubby was supposed to take them down and second Its freezing cold and been snowing. We don't light them they are still up though! and no one can tell because we live very rural! on 3 acrtes!
2 people like this
@spindrift (197)
•
1 Mar 07
I take mine down on the 6 jan also by then christmas has worn but with the decorations down the house is bare I like having them up especialy my christmas tree.
i dont go in for putting up a show outside my house.
The kids would have everthing ruined most likey.
but I would not mind simple sting of lights round the house.
@ElementalDragon (156)
• United States
1 Mar 07
I try to keep my Christmas decorations up as short as possible. I'm not big on holiday decorating, anyway, and definitely not outside decorations. I like to go a bit longer than a month between changing appearances, which is about how often you'd have to change decorations.
New Year's Day
Valentines Day
St. Patricks' Day
Easter
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Not quite one every month, and some are more major for decorating than others. These are United States holidays, by the way. I don't know what holiday schedules look like for other countries.
My proposed solution for my household, however, is to put up decorations for all the holidays and leave them up all the time. Happy Year of Holidays and Celebrations! :)
My $0.02 at the moment.
1 person likes this
@czechdoll1 (153)
• United States
28 Feb 07
I take ours down New Year's Day. If I wait longer they will just stay up and drive me nuts. We had ours up early this year on Thanksgiving weekend so by New Year's I was ready to have my house back.
2 people like this
@Italiana2683 (87)
• United States
28 Feb 07
in my opinion i think you should leave your xmas decorations up for one week after new years. after that it looks stupid
1 person likes this
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
28 Feb 07
Well, when I was growing up, we always took all the decorations down on Jan. 6th, also. This year we had a manzanita wreath with little white fairy lights on the front of the house. Hate to tell you this, but it's still there. I'm actually thinking of keeping it up year round. It's not overly Christmasy and I like it.
1 person likes this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
1 Mar 07
OK so this would drive me crazy! I think people that leave their Christmas Lights up (just so they don't have to go out and hang them up next year) drives me crazy! I can't imagine leaving all the decorations up..
Are you sure they aren't Winter decorations? Snowmen and stuff? I think those types of things are fine. I have all of my snowmen and some angels still up-- Just no santa's or trees or Christmas lights.
I take that stuff down right after the New Year-- Like on the 3rd or 4th-
@sweetaspie52 (2359)
• United States
28 Feb 07
I usually put mine up a week before Thanksgiving and take it down on Christmas day or the day after I very seldom leave mine up until after new Years
1 person likes this
@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
28 Feb 07
Well, I'm ashamed to say I have a blinking light sculpture of Santa outside with an undecorated fake tree out front; some assorted decorations in the house (hip swinging Santa, stocking hangers, rocking reindeer) and my manger set (heck, I was rubbing baby Jesus' tummy last night for some patience!) I'm terrible at that stuff, but I don't decorate as much as I used to (I donated a 6-ft. artificial tree this past holiday) because I don't enjoy it any more.
@jadeybabe (264)
•
28 Feb 07
i keep mine up until a couple of days after new years :)
1 person likes this
