to shout "NYER I told you so" at you all

[MaryChristmaZEverybody]

You crowd of fecking bah-humbuggers.

If you kept Christmas for December and put your decorations up at a reasonable time you would still be enjoying it now.

Instead of moaning and groaning.

Idiots.

[SetPhasersTaeMalkie]

I was just thinking that myself but was too much off a coward to post it.

[bradywasmyfavouritewiseman]

Mine are coming down tomorrow. Only because we are going abroad on new years day. So nerrr to you!

[HaveYourselfAMardyLittleXmas]

YANBU. Actually I still haven't finished putting up my decs. Should I add some more?

[TheNebulousBoojum]

Somehow I knew what the theme of this thread would be!
I completely agree, along with all the stress and misery and expense.
It's like an Apocalyptic view of Christmas. Months of preparation and then KABOOM! on The Last Day.

[MaryChristmaZEverybody]

brady, that's fine, you have a reason.

But there were two threads here ^on Christmas day" about taking the decorations down .

Surely Christmas should last at least from the 25th to the end of December, instead of starting in October and finishing up at 4 pm on the 25th.

[baffled]

[RooneyMara]

I did. We put our tree etc up around the 16th. I took it out on boxing day and hoovered. Oh the joy.

Having decorations up when everyone's back to work and at the sales and it's raining just seems wrong, to me.

But I know I'm probably BU.

[HaveYourselfAMardyLittleXmas]

And I think was last to put on my Christmas name.

[RooneyMara]

Also I am expecting a baby in a few days and needed to get Christmas stuff out of the way, so I could organise the house for that. iyswim

But I take the tree down asap every year.

[DontmindifIdo]

Agreed! I know people in real life who put their decs up in November, hten complaining about having to dust them!

Decs go up just before christmas and then stay up for the whole of Christmas, the 12 days.

[Nishky]

I am with you- dc put small trees in their bedrooms on dec 1st. Main decks go up on 23rd which is day after dd's birthday. They stay up til 12th night.

I work right up to Christmas and have time off to enjoy over Christmas and New Year

[Nishky]

Decks? Decs!

[phantomnamechanger]

I'm with the OP - all the grotto-esque lights on houses in our street are still up but few people, having had them on 24/7 for a month, bother lighting them now - we put ours up a few days before christmas and keep the festive spirit going for the full 12 days, sometimes more cos I dont go for all that bad luck not to take them down on the right day nonsense.

I really dont get why you'd want to have everything up so early and hype the kids into a frenzy before christmas, then be all deflated and anti-climax by boxing day - we STILL have several family "dos" to look forward to in the next week, its lovely!

[catgirl1976geesealaying]

YANBU

Mine went up 21st Dec so I'm still enjoying them :)

[AllOfTheOtterReindeer]

But...Christmas is from 24th December to 6th January. We haven't even started the Stollen, or the cheese.

[MammaTJ]

I'm with you on this one Mary. My decs will stay up until DP returns home to take them down on Sunday!

[phantomnamechanger]

we know someone who has their halloween decs up till about 5th November then goes straight to xmas decs! madness!
I blame chocolate advent calendars too - christmas day is seen as the END not the beginning!

[ivykaty44]

i don't understand why people want to rush to get the decorations down and put away and hoover up. it seems so sad when the lights brighten the dark nights, I enjoy the tree after the 25th and coming home from work and sitting in the room with the lights twinkling.

I have worked on boxing day and all over christmas on other years- this year it is my daughter working - but we still want to enjoy the magic of the lights and glitter etc.

i always find the house so bear after the decorations come down.

It feels a bit to me like when the 25 th os over - thats it back to work into the shops etc. On 26 when i dropped my dd1 at work there where people laiden with boots the chemist bags and next bags in town at 8,30am, why are people so keen to finish christmas and get back to work - or others back to work to serve them

[TheOneWithTheHair]

We put ours up about the 16th so not too early but they will be coming down tomorrow. I like to have them down by new year so I can have a fresh start.

[catgirl1976geesealaying]

There is a proper date to take them down

Do not get people who ignore this

[RooneyMara]

But how do you lot manage with work/school etc?

I have stuff I need to produce at the council offices in the next few days. That's not very festive. And shitloads of washing to do so the kids can go back to school, and toys to tidy up and organise.

Ours go back on the 8th. If I left it all till then and just sat around eating cheese I would not be ready or with it in time. I need this space to get everything done.

[MaryChristmaZEverybody]

Mine will stay up until the 6th, which is of course the right way to do it

I'm not sitting around eating cheese, I'm sitting around eating chocolate instead. I do as little as possible until at least New Year's Day, and then do a major chaos-sort. But the lights go off and the tree comes down on the 6th, after which the kids go back to school.

They are delighted by my attitude btw. Because I've promised not to nag them about their shit-holes bedrooms or study until December is over.

[RooneyMara]

I also like the fresh start thing - if you listen at 6am now you can hear a little bird singing in our garden. The days are lengthening. It's wonderful, full of hope.

I want to go forwards now - so for me the equinox, just before christmas, is kind of the 'end' of the darkening bit of the year.

I kind of want to take the increasing light and run with it. It's a coping mechanism I suppose.

I do avoid the horrible sale shopping frenzy though - we take things that need exchanging, early in the morning, and get it over with or bunged on a gift card (not keen to do this but if the shops are open, we do it - if they weren't, we wouldn't complain) and then stay out of the shops for a while as it's awful.

I do a bit online though. Two shops this year, took about half an hour.

[ivykaty44]

the decorations went up here on the 10th december and my dd was still at school and I was working- it wasn't an issue to manage work/school

[ivykaty44]

you did two shops this year, how? do you mean in the whole of 2012?

[flow4]

I didn't buy a single prezzie til the 10th of December... We decorated the tree on the 11th and I haven't quite got round to putting all the cards up yet... And I never gave myself a festive name...

But we had a lovely mellow Christmas with festivities lasting several days and not one single argument or sulk or bit of bad behaviour. And I am still in bed now and am not sure what day it is. Forgive me if I sound smug. But it has been a long, long, lonnng time since I have had a relaxing holiday, and I am soooo enjoying it!

So you can NYER all you like at me, MaryZ: I shall just smile, and pass you chocolates!