Is it still Christmas with you?

[OpheIiaBaIIs]

Definitely is here! I've just had Christmas cake and coffee from my shiny new machine for breakfast with the tree twinkling away. This weekend we'll be catching up on Christmas TV we've missed, eating the rest of the Christmas food and having our Twelfth Night Party before we reluctantly pack everything away and DH goes back to work on Monday. It still feels very festive here!

So many of our neighbours have taken their decorations and lights down - the street that was so twinkly and pretty a few days ago looks so bare and dreary now, the spoilsports . I leave lots of fairy lights up through January because I think the darkest part of the year needs them. And I leave some up all year, with extras at Easter which we 'do' like a mini-Christmas. Very much of the belief that Christmas is a season, not a day!

Feeling a tad griefy that it's coming to an end but looking forward to a last lovely weekend! How about you?

[HollyBollyBooBoo]

Nope definitely over and done with! I like to start January with the house de cluttered and clean and so Christmas was packed up days ago! It did go up at the back end of November though so I feel it's been out for ages!

[Bluewavescrashing]

No, I'm over it. Presents have been put away, tree down, normal eating resumed! I don't feel sad about it though. Nice to get a bit of space back in the lounge and I took the opportunity to give the room a really good clean. It's still cosy in there though with cushions and throws (including my new heated one!)

[PollyPocketLucyLocket]

Still Christmas here - whatever happened to the 12 days?
Tree is staying up. Enjoy, your weekend sounds wonderful.

[lolaflores]

The intense relief I experienced yesterday knowing xmas was dine for another 12 months hit me yesterday.
I am delighted your family is still rolling around in cake and glitter. In this house we r all back to work being mean old spoil sports with no decorations up and just being boring

[Pascha]

It's ds2's birthday on Sunday so Christmas for us finishes by New year at LATEST. Decorations came down at the weekend and outside lights and wreath on NYD. I've been working since 27th and DH went back yesterday. It's only the children off now til Monday.

I prefer to be festive through December building up to Christmas week and all finished by the end of the year. I'm not religious though, no significance for me there.

[Pascha]

Wasn't meant to shout latest, sorry

[PollyPocketLucyLocket]

Oh, have just seen you're having a twelfth night party. We are wanting to do an Epiphany celebration this time. How are you celebrating?

We usually just have the cake, DD is excited about the prospect of winning the pea (sweet here) and being in charge

[ScreamingValalalalahLalalalah]

Not here - I am back at work and my visiting family have gone home, and outside we've had that very pale, early January light which always seems to flush Christmas out from the corners, so my tree and cards came down yesterday. I'm looking forward to a normal weekend. I know it isn't twelfth night yet but I'd find it a bit depressing to try to eke Christmas out any further.

[OpheIiaBaIIs]

Usually DH goes back earlier so this year we're making the most of it! Also it's DD's last at home before she leaves next year - she'll be coming home for Christmas obviously but she won't be here for the run-up and follow-up, so again we're squeezing every last bit out of it. That said we've always been a decorations up the last Friday in November and down on Twelfth night sort of house! It just seems extra important this year.

Don't get me wrong - I'll be pleased to be eating more normally again I think I've put on 3 stone in a month and look forward to the year ahead with a clutter-free house. But I love Christmas and like to cling on to it for as long as possible!

[AuntieMarys]

Every thing down in New Years Day. The house is full of daffodils !

[Panicmode1]

We took our tree down yesterday as DH is back to work on Monday and the Council no longer collect them, so we wanted to go to the dump today before it gets busy at the weekend.

We have a final family Christmas lunch on Sunday, before everyone goes back to work and school on Monday - with the tree in the sitting room, there wasn't really going to be enough room for everyone! I'm sad that it's all done for another year, but glad that the house is returning to a sort of normality!

[MiniGuinness]

Yes. I wanted it to be over but I bought way to much food and booze. My kids are home from university and me and DH are not back in work for another week, so what choice do we actually have? It's a hard life.

[PollyPocketLucyLocket]

We don't put the decorations up until a few days before Christmas though, or even on Christmas Eve.
Same with shopping, usually do it the weekend before, so a few days. Maybe that has something to do with it?

[OpheIiaBaIIs]

@PollyPocketLucyLocket I do our final 'roast' of Christmas (we don't have them at other times of the year so they're a real treat). Champagne and the last festive outfits of the season, all followed by silly games and a snooze on the sofa!

We have all sorts of traditions which we like to weave into our celebrations - for example, DH is Catholic so epiphany is a thing for him, hence Twelfth night. I'm Welsh, so we celebrate New Year's Day almost like Christmas Day - we exchange smallish gifts (calennig) and have carols (lots of Welsh male voice choirs!) on while we have a Christmas-type dinner. I often prefer NYD to Christmas Day because it's so relaxed!

[OpheIiaBaIIs]

@MiniGuinness you've got to do what you've got to do I suppose. It's a dirty job, etc. Godspeed!

[Mixitupmonday]

I think there are two Christmas Camps.

Decs up soon as they can persuade others it's not completely bonkers. (End November/ beginning Dec) and everything down on Boxing Day. This is usually for people who see Christmas as being all the 'prep' as being part of it.

I am from the other camp. I see Christmas as starting on Christmas Eve. It has much to do with the Christian Narrative and continues until twelfth night when the three Kings arrives with their gifts . (Part of family are Spanish and this is their gift giving day) .. So for us, taking decs down on the 26th would mean they would only have been up a few days.

Also, up until Christmas Eve most of the family are working. It's only the Christmas Period until 6 Jan that we have the time to visit friends and celebrate. So Christmas food, nibbles, Cake and games still going strong here for a couple of days yet.

[RancidOldHag]

I go for the 12 Days - I really don't see the point in cutting short a celebration.

For practical reasons, the tree will come down on 5/01 this year, which feels unsettlingly early

[OpheIiaBaIIs]

@Mixitupmonday we have feet in both camps! Up on the last Friday in November, down on Twelfth night. They're usually up for six weeks or so and we love every second.

@RancidOldHag I agree! It's the darkest part of the year, any warmth and light is welcome. Ours are on a timer so when I get up, they're already on. Going into a warm, twinkly room/kitchen makes getting up at the crack of grey, cold dawn in December/early January so much less painful.

[Howmanysleepsnow]

We’re still in Christmas mode. Loads of food, films, winter walks, dc playing with new toys, me and dh enjoying using new stuff, lazy family days and board games.
@Mixitupmonday I’m another one straddling both camps: tree up end of November/ 1st December at the latest and not down until 6th January. I love how cosy the house feels with sparkling lights and really miss them when they’re gone.

[DonnaDarko]

I think we're taking the tree down tomorrow. it doesn't feel like xmas anymore as we're all back at work / nursery.

The tree went up the first weekend in December, but DP wanted it up later!

[DickDewy]

No! Long gone. Our tree was fucked this year so came down last weekend. It had been up for 2 weeks.

Still off work until Monday but Christmas seems distant now.

[NeedAnExpert]

Haven’t had our Xmas dinner yet - we were away for Xmas.

[OceanSunFish]

Half and half here. Tree still up (till tomorrow) but healthy eating / drinking started yesterday. DH back at work but I'm not.

[Limer]

It's still Christmas here, like PP our Christmas lasts from 24th Dec - 6th Jan. We'll have a nice meal on Sunday to celebrate the end of the festive season, and probably take the decs down too.

[stripes1]

Yes all decorations stay up until 12th night here, and we have Christmas food on the go too-but we don’t start eating it until nearly Christmas and our decorations went up on 15th Dec so not up for ages. Makes it all feel special while DH and kids are off. Refuse to be dictated to by the retailers who would have us eating Xmas food in November and Easter eggs in January!