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Original poster

Oh I’m so glad my Christmas tree and decorations are away!

86 replies

sweetpotatoeandwine · 02/01/2022 17:59

Just took all my Christmas lights and decorations down today. All packed away for 11 months.

I love Christmas and I love getting the lights up but I just feel really fed up with it now and I was sick looking at my decorations. I was going to keep them up to tomorrow but I just thought no way, I’m going to have to take them down today.

I’m hoping in 11 months time I’ll be ready to put them back up again!

Anyone else the same?

OP posts:
livinthedream1995 · 02/01/2022 19:26

Sameeeeee. My 17 month old kept pulling off the baubles and I got fed up with keep putting them back, so it looked pretty sad by the time it came down anyway. I’d say better luck next year but we’ll have an almost 1 year old then 🥴

AngelinaFibres · 02/01/2022 19:44

@User2638483

No I feel like it looks all bare now! I miss the cosy fairy lights

I also feel all weirdly melancholy when putting them away… like who knows what might happen between now and when I get them out again. What losses or major events might have occurred, hoping that we’re all still here fit and well. Is that weird?

I think exactly this every year.One year my dad was dying . I remember putting them away and knowing that he would have been dead for months the next time I got them out. He died 2 weeks later.
DappledThings · 02/01/2022 19:59

Twelfth night rarely works with our schedules. We are back to school / work by then.
Nor with mine, I still do it though. Would certainly be easier to do it today rather than Wednesday or Thursday but I refuse to take the shortcut!

Council tree collection doesn't start till 10th here so they work around Twelfth Night as well which is good.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Christmas Events & celebrations
NoWordForFluffy · 02/01/2022 20:12

@DappledThings

Twelfth night rarely works with our schedules. We are back to school / work by then. Nor with mine, I still do it though. Would certainly be easier to do it today rather than Wednesday or Thursday but I refuse to take the shortcut!

Council tree collection doesn't start till 10th here so they work around Twelfth Night as well which is good.

Not a chance would I do it on a work night. My work is tough going mentally and I'm not up for such a task on a work night.

No person's chosen timeframe is wrong. It's all about personal choice, and making it as pleasant and undemanding experience as possible. If people choose to make it hard work for themselves for whatever reason, fair enough. But it's not for everyone!

AngelinaFibres · 02/01/2022 20:24

I put mine up at the start of December. We have a lot up so it takes a while and I like to enjoy them after all the effort.I take them down on January 1st (or second this year as we were out yesterday ) as I love to start the new year with a fresh, bright house, clean sheets and towels and a big vase of daffodils on the kitchen table. New years day is the day we write down plans and adventures and goals we want/hope to achieve in the next 12 months .We write them in a beautiful notebook I have had for years and then look back at them over Christmas at the end of the year. It's nice to look back at years and years ago and see what you achieved....before the weirdness began .

crimsonlake · 02/01/2022 20:34

There are 12 days to Christmas so mine will stay up until then. January is gloomy enough so I am making the most of it...sat here watching a movie, drinking wine and the Christmas tree ights twinkling.

YesPleaseMary · 02/01/2022 20:45

I packed ours away today. The sun was out and it was 12 degrees outside, so it felt like a good day to to clean and air the house ready for the new year.

DENMAN03 · 02/01/2022 20:55

I will take mine down tomorrow as I am back at work on Tuesday. I've had my real trees up since the first of December and they have lasted really well with daily watering. Sad to see them go.

NoWordForFluffy · 02/01/2022 20:57

@YesPleaseMary

I packed ours away today. The sun was out and it was 12 degrees outside, so it felt like a good day to to clean and air the house ready for the new year.
It was hammering down here and while the headline temp was 11°, windchill was 6°! It started the day sunny, however!
JamieTartt · 02/01/2022 21:03

Mine came down yesterday. Anything Christmassy after Boxing Day makes me feel really agitated. Not sure why but I have always felt like that.

kittenkipper · 02/01/2022 21:06

I'm not independently wealthy nor childless. But I do feast and celebrate the full twelve days. I do the first few days as a nuclear family. Then I invite family/ friends from the 28th.

I have the benefit of loving cooking and having an easy 9-5. But I find, and have done for many years, when I invite people throughout (particularly on twelfth night itself) they LOVE it. They've put down their decs and / or love a party (who doesn't?) and I always cater. My parents are here tonight and are currently playing a board game with my children and getting merry on wine. My mother keeps saying how silly the carols are now its "not Christmas" but she's also singing along and clearly loving it. Yes I'm mumsnetting but no less festive for it.

Wednesday I will be hosting three families for twelfth night and will be roasting a goose and making a pavlova. It's a black tie event and we'll all be dressed to the nines and there will be dancing. ( We will also give toast to the apple tree in the garden - I'm not sure why but my grandmother taught me to do it and so I have taught my dc too. Maybe it's a Welsh thing? Though I've never met anyone else who does it? Maybe nan was just mad?)

Tal45 · 02/01/2022 21:14

I'll probably take mine down over the next week. Twelfth night has no meaning to me. I'll take the decorations off first and leave the trees and lights until next weekend to enjoy them for a bit longer.

NoWordForFluffy · 02/01/2022 21:24

@kittenkipper

I'm not independently wealthy nor childless. But I do feast and celebrate the full twelve days. I do the first few days as a nuclear family. Then I invite family/ friends from the 28th.

I have the benefit of loving cooking and having an easy 9-5. But I find, and have done for many years, when I invite people throughout (particularly on twelfth night itself) they LOVE it. They've put down their decs and / or love a party (who doesn't?) and I always cater. My parents are here tonight and are currently playing a board game with my children and getting merry on wine. My mother keeps saying how silly the carols are now its "not Christmas" but she's also singing along and clearly loving it. Yes I'm mumsnetting but no less festive for it.

Wednesday I will be hosting three families for twelfth night and will be roasting a goose and making a pavlova. It's a black tie event and we'll all be dressed to the nines and there will be dancing. ( We will also give toast to the apple tree in the garden - I'm not sure why but my grandmother taught me to do it and so I have taught my dc too. Maybe it's a Welsh thing? Though I've never met anyone else who does it? Maybe nan was just mad?)

I wouldn't come out on a work night, but I don't have an easy 9-5!

Enjoy your black tie do, however.

AlDanvers · 02/01/2022 21:32

I took mine down today and cried all the way through.

My mum suddenly passed away 4 days after I put mine up. We only had the funeral on Thursday. Part of me felt like it meant I was moving on, which I am not ready for.

Part of me feels like it's a sign life has to return to normal. Grieving, supporting the kids and my dad, organising a funeral and trying to make sure Croatian was still good for the kids felt nothing like normal.

Back to work on Tuesday and dreading just having to get on with life without her.

But, now they are down the house looks nice and I have been able to give her, her own little area in my living room. A photo and the last gift tag she ever wrote with my name on and a candle. So now I feel a bit better.

AlDanvers · 02/01/2022 21:36

Oh and my nana always did we couldnt take them down until the 6th Jan.

I still do. Grin

I do have a 9-5 and absolutely couldn't face doing it during the week.

stargirl1701 · 02/01/2022 21:38

Our tree only went up on Christmas Eve. Another week of Christmas to go yet!

Ffsmakeitstop · 02/01/2022 21:46

@AlDanvers

I took mine down today and cried all the way through.

My mum suddenly passed away 4 days after I put mine up. We only had the funeral on Thursday. Part of me felt like it meant I was moving on, which I am not ready for.

Part of me feels like it's a sign life has to return to normal. Grieving, supporting the kids and my dad, organising a funeral and trying to make sure Croatian was still good for the kids felt nothing like normal.

Back to work on Tuesday and dreading just having to get on with life without her.

But, now they are down the house looks nice and I have been able to give her, her own little area in my living room. A photo and the last gift tag she ever wrote with my name on and a candle. So now I feel a bit better.

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's always horrible to lose someone but it somehow seems worse at Christmas. Flowers
BigRedDuck · 02/01/2022 21:56

Dechristmassed today, cleaned, moved the furniture around and set up a new desk for my new job as I will be mostly working from home. New soft furnishings arriving tomorrow and I've ordered myself a special reading chair to congratulate myself on my new job since noone else was really bothered Smile
I feel wonderful!!! Our outside lights have gone in my "lady terrace"* for the year until next Christmas so I can sit out in the summer.

*need a better name for said lady terrace

ApplePippa · 02/01/2022 22:14

@kittenkipper

I'm not independently wealthy nor childless. But I do feast and celebrate the full twelve days. I do the first few days as a nuclear family. Then I invite family/ friends from the 28th.

I have the benefit of loving cooking and having an easy 9-5. But I find, and have done for many years, when I invite people throughout (particularly on twelfth night itself) they LOVE it. They've put down their decs and / or love a party (who doesn't?) and I always cater. My parents are here tonight and are currently playing a board game with my children and getting merry on wine. My mother keeps saying how silly the carols are now its "not Christmas" but she's also singing along and clearly loving it. Yes I'm mumsnetting but no less festive for it.

Wednesday I will be hosting three families for twelfth night and will be roasting a goose and making a pavlova. It's a black tie event and we'll all be dressed to the nines and there will be dancing. ( We will also give toast to the apple tree in the garden - I'm not sure why but my grandmother taught me to do it and so I have taught my dc too. Maybe it's a Welsh thing? Though I've never met anyone else who does it? Maybe nan was just mad?)

Giving toast to the apple tree was not your Nan being mad nor a specifically Welsh thing. Its an old, old twelfth night wassailing tradition - blessing the apple tree in the hope of a good crop next year by sticking toast on the branches, pouring cider on the roots, and singing to it.

I love that your Nan taught you to do this and your still doing it!

RebeccaCloud9 · 02/01/2022 22:23

I absolutely love my decorations, this year more than ever. I have a beautiful real tree full of a mix of pretty and sentimental and homemade ornaments, a real garland with copper string lights over the (otherwise ugly) mantelpiece, a real garland up the stairs and a beautiful new wreath (after having crappy ones for years) I don't want to ever take them down! but I will on Twelfth Night. I am tempted to just keep the stair and mantelpiece garlands up until Candlemas; de-Christmas them slightly and make them Winter themed.

MenopauseSucks · 02/01/2022 22:24

I try to always do it on Twelfth Night however if there are reasons to do earlier (work,etc) then anytime after New Year's Day.
I used to have big New Year's Eve parties & it made it a great atmosphere still having the decoration up!
I'll be leaving some outdoor lights up until Candlemas Eve this year as they look nice when I come home in the dark.

GreetingsFromVenus · 02/01/2022 22:27

I got rid of mine today too, thank god! Would have done it yesterday which is my usual tradition, but was too tired and guests didn’t leave until late.

Flipping pine needles have been walked all over the house for the last few days and are still appearing even though I spent the best part of an hour vacuuming the house to get rid of the damn things!

We have battery powered lights up in in our front and back gardens all year round, as well as our Christmas lights, and I also put lights in my artificial fireplace during autumn/winter to give the effect of flames so house is still cosy but feels more spacious.

kittenkipper · 02/01/2022 22:37

Applepippa - thank you so much! I've been Googling wassailing and you are right. There is even a chant I know!I'd not heard of it. You've spurred me to a new year resolution (which I never do!) and I am now on a hunt to find out why my family "wassail " . We are the welshest - nan barely spoke English , and my dad thinks in Welsh, I am bilingual, but I'd never have connected this to Cornish roots - which is where wassailing appears to originate. Fascinating. Thank you again x

AlDanvers · 02/01/2022 22:38

@Ffsmakeitstop thank you. I think in some ways it does feel worse. Opening the last presents she wrapped, knowing I would never have another. Trying to smile on Christmas day when I just wanted to cry (I did have a couple of wobbles), trying to make it special for the kids knowing they are fully aware its not the same.

But, on the other hand its given me alot to focus on and keep me busy. So maybe it's not been as bad.

I guess I will find our what normal life is like without her. Can't imagine sat at my desk without her sending me periodic texts.

kittenkipper · 02/01/2022 22:48

[quote AlDanvers]@Ffsmakeitstop thank you. I think in some ways it does feel worse. Opening the last presents she wrapped, knowing I would never have another. Trying to smile on Christmas day when I just wanted to cry (I did have a couple of wobbles), trying to make it special for the kids knowing they are fully aware its not the same.

But, on the other hand its given me alot to focus on and keep me busy. So maybe it's not been as bad.

I guess I will find our what normal life is like without her. Can't imagine sat at my desk without her sending me periodic texts.[/quote]
I'm so sorry for your loss. No new time nor thing will be the same.

When you lose a parent , it's like being a child again, in that you experience your firsts all again, but this time without your parent. Again, I am so very sorry for your loss.