The Christmas tree is down!

[ILikeMySuitcase]

Just taken down the main living room tree, absolute workout getting it back in the box and as usual I found a couple of stars once I'd packed away the decorations.

Trying to get all the trees down today so I can deep clean the house before New Years.

Anyone else just want their space back and taking decorations down today?

I think some people must be on a wind up. They detest people, it annoys them. Seriously it's not your bloody tree or house.

How does it affect you whether someone takes their tree down on Boxing Day? Answer it doesn't.

DH is in Tesco and just sent me a photo of a whole row of hot cross buns just to wind me up.

Fucking infuriating.

Tesco sell Hot cross buns all year round.

I went to our local TescoMetro in November and they had HotCross Buns .

(Only one pack, bottom shelf so I don;t know if they do a roaring trade in them then)

They are often yellow stickered in the Tesco Express. I love a hot cross bun so buy them all the time.

Took ours down today, it was exhausting but i am so pleased it is done! Today was the first day that I didn't go straight to put the tree lights on this morning, it was becoming a "when will we take them down?", rather than an appreciation for them. I then knew today was the day they needed to go. I always think the decs cause me to continue indulgent Christmas eating too. Now I'll have a couple of days of eating a little more normally, until NYE buffet!! I can relax so much more on NY, just knowing I haven't got it to do. I also don't believe in taking the old year into the new, each to their own, but it doesn't feel right for me personally. The house smells so much fresher now. The dcs have more room to play with their new toys now too! It seems less cluttered, but still nice, because we do have all year a round candles and nice lights.

We did ours yesterday too. We're out today on a day out we bought as a present for DD and her grandparents. So it gives us a day of normality tomorrow, then it's NYE/NYD and then one final day off together before work starts again on the third. The amount of Lego she got, it's nice to have room to build and to then tidy it away out of sight to where the tree was (the floor of that corner can't be seen from the sofa, so it's out but clear), we can chill and she can still have new presents out for a bit.

I didn't even bother putting any decorations up, but saying that, I haven't put any up for the past 16 years. Cards go on the mantlepiece for 2 days then they're taken down.
I just hate this time of year and can't find it in myself to go to all that trouble when I really don't want to.

Had to take mine down, the fairy lights have inexplicably stopped working.
Would normally leave it until new year.

So they can get to the shops and stock up for Easter.

But your Christmas is only one day (two at a push counting Christmas Eve) that you adore as you say. 1 December to Christmas Eve is advent not Christmas. November is bonfire night and remembrance, not Christmas.

Why's everything moved forwards? Halloween in September?

Why does it matter that their Christmas is a different timeframe to yours? How does it impact you?

Well , clearly it's not just one day, is it, as OP celebrates from November...

The OP posted on a public forum, presumably for responses, and they're getting many different ones, which was, I assume, the point of the thread. Or are we only allowed to agree?

It doesn't impact me personally of course it doesn't. That's not the point of the replies though is it?

But your reply was stating that OP taking down her tree she'd had up for 7 weeks meant her Christmas was only one day. I'm asking why that matters?

Or am I only allowed to agree?

You can celebrate Christmas any time you want. Do it in June if you like. It doesn't actually make it Christmas though! If you have a tree and decorations up in November it doesn't make it Christmas.

Nor does a tree up in January. You also don't require a tree for it to be Christmas. It's not a legal requirement for a tree to be up for you to know it's Christmas. Ours came down yesterday but we've been out today on a Christmas day out with the family. It's the family that make it for us, not the decorations.

Than it sounds like you're doing what is the best thing for you, and that is all that matters. Christmas can be a sad time of the year for so many people. I think it is a reminder of the ones who are no longer with us. All we can do is allow them to live on in our memories, and make the season as easy on us as possible.

I've definitely been thinking of someone who's no longer here this xmas.
I found out from a distant relative on 24.12 that my father is dead.
I contacted his local registry office and got a call back on 27.12 to say that he'd actually died over 2 years ago, and not this year as we thought.
His wife made it clear to me 6 years ago that she would never 'allow' my sister or myself to have access to our dad (he had Parkinsons and was pretty reliant on her), and she clearly kept her word because she didn't even have the common decency to let us know that he'd died.

God, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.

💐I am so sorry that happened to you, and the fact you were kept away from your dad like that. I lost my df last year, just before Christmas, but I have small dcs, and have tried to make the best of things after such tough year.

I cannot imagine going through what you did. I hope you feel a little better now we're close to a new year. I hope it is a good one for you, and your family.

Christmas is what individuals make of it, decorations,celebrations, the same when putting decorations up or when a person takes them down , does it really matter 😉

Christmas isn't set in stone. That's the joy if it being a merged celebration of traditions and religious festivals.

Loads of the stuff people do at Christmas are nothing to do with the Christian Christmas. Trees in particular and decorating the house.
. So it makes no difference if you take the tree down on Christmas day or twelfth night or anywhere in between.

Thank you @Mydogisamassivetwat and
@WhatALoadofpickledOnions

It has been hard, he would have been 80 earlier this year, and my sister and I sent him beautiful cards, so his bitch of a wife can't say she didn't know we exist or have contact details for us, so should have told us then, but still, no.
We'll get over the shock of his death, as everyone does eventually, but I think the deceit is what will take longer to come to terms with, but we'll find a way through more official channels, to make it known that we now know.
I'm applying to Probate and the Will Registry for a copy of his will to see whether there was something included stating that he was intentionally excluding us from inheriting, not that we want his money particularly, but just to see whether HE was writing us out of his life/death, then we'll have a friend (solicitor) contact the wife. She's kept us out of his life for years, and now prevented us from being included in his end of life and funeral, there has to be some way to make it clear that this was totally unacceptable.
We're angry at the moment, maybe we'll calm down a little once we have some answers regarding the will, but for now, it's totally spoilt the last week for us.

Our tree and decorations came down this morning.
Mainly as we are going on holiday later today and we didn't want to come back to it all next weekend.