How soon can I (reasonably) take down my Christmas decorations?

[dontpointatme]

Just that really...

I have a 2yo DD who has loved Christmas, and I normally do too, but it's been a shit one for me this year. Husband moved out on 23rd so not been the best time and I've just had enough of my house being a tip and hardly any space to move due to all of the bits and bobs that come with Christmas.

How long do I have to leave them up before I can start straightening out my house and making it feel like a home for just DD and I? I don't want to take it all away from her too soon (as in the tree and sparkles etc) but I want my house back!

Haven't rtft. Tonight or tomorrow morning would be fine, OP. Maybe shift some furniture or change something up like bring out a different tablecloth/cushion/vase etc. You don't have to wait for the 1st to have a new atmosphere in the home.

Hope things look up for you.

Ours is coming down tomorrow . I am a childminder so enjoy the space with no toddler toys, high chairs . We are also away new year

As I type, I glance up at my lovely Christmas tree, twinkling (warm white, I'll have you know! 😊), my log burner glowing away, and I feel all fluffy. My family are all home, we've had fun. But on other years either DH or I, or both have to go to work tomorrow. Sometimes on-call, NHS HCP, so I 'know' back-to-work.

But it doesn't detract from 'this is Christmas', a season that lasts until twelfth night! Little white lights, glowing embers- breaking the darkness of the winter night, hinting at the promise of the light, striking back against the shield of Winter.

Maybe, post Brexit, I will be revered as a Seer!

All I can see is clutter. It needs to go.

Ours are coming down New Years Eve. What a week ago was “magical” is now “mess” and I want it all gone 🙀

Christmas is certainly over. For me it is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and, at a stretch, Boxing Day.

I've never bothered observing the full twelve days of Christmas. Most people are back at work/school before twelfth night.

Looks like @Miljah has been hitting the Bailey's and gone into drunken Uncle rant mode 😂

Sparklingbrook

All I can see is clutter. It needs to go

That

I will take mine down this evening as I am back to work tomorrow. If I don't get chance today it will come down on Sunday, I really don't like the decorations up into the new year.

6th January

I'd do Boxing Day, but family all want it left up until new year. I agree with you though.

Nah, fanny, just railing at those who can only see annoying clutter, not symbolism.

Presumably they need to make room for the Easter eggs... 😂

Miljah - the Christmas tree and lights are a symbol of the Christmas period but it’s over now, I’m back at work and want as much space cleared for our annual New Years Eve party. Christmas means different things to different people.

Mine are down today. For my son it is far easier . He knows Christmas is over and I get to clean through while I am off work

I've started today, DS is 6 months old so doesn't know and I want a nice tidy house for new years 😀

None of it is symbolic for us, I freely admit that the festive period is about family, friends, food and presents here. We don't celebrate the traditional Yule/advent/religious aspect.

The tree and all the clutter that goes along with it is just random tradition that we use in the run up to Christmas day, after that it's meaningless!

We don't do Easter either 🤔

Interesting that people get themselves so concerned by what other people do though!

I think my living room is shambolic rather then symbolic TBH.

But it’s stjkl Christmas! Kids are off school-there’s still good to eat, new toys to play with, films to watch... this is the best bit!
(Apologies to those back at work but plenty of people managed to work with decorations up before Christmas

Quite tempted to get mine down this weekend. The influx of new stuff (amazingly, no tat, and not masses of stuff either!) has promoted a flurrying of tidying and sorting, and I want the decs to be packed away neatly with the other stuff. I'm also re-potting our tree this year in the hope it'll grow and be useable again next year, want to do that before I lose the will to do it!

One year I took them down on Boxing Day. We had only just moved into the house, the week before Christmas. Still surrounded by boxes, we had a rubbish fake tree (not all fake ones are rubbish, this one was) and borrowed decorations. It actually upset me looking at it like that so they came down. That's never happened since, thankfully!

As I said upthread there's a certain amount of looking forward to things when putting the tree up before finishing at work and school. A reminder of the things to come.

After the 25th it's still Christmastechnically but I have had enough to eat by the 27th, and the DC are 19 and nearly 17 so toys to play with are in short supply!

Ready tostart the New Year now.

Yet somehow we manage to eat, play and watch movies the rest of the year without a tree in the living room!

We still enjoy the holidays, although it was only through chance I had Christmas day off but we're back to normal workwise today onwards. Sparkling is right, the build up with decorations is different. Afterwards it's just a PITA.

Normally goes up first weekend of Dec although it was second this year as we were all poorly the 1st weekend. Comes down New Year's Eve. I like to the whole December as Christmas

I Did mine today my DD actually took a nap!!! The first time in 2 weeks so i thought i best do it whilst i have the chance! She woke up and said OH NO! TREE GONE 😂

Mines gone today! Couldn't bear looking at it any longer!

I love looking at my tree!

Maybe you're doing yours 'wrong'?