Taking the tree down!

[Elsouth]

Is it wrong to consider taking the tree down tomorrow? When is everyone else doing it?? I think last year I did it just after Boxing Day. As the kids get older the presents seem to get bigger and I end up having to rearrange the whole room. Need that tree gone. Does that make me a grinch?

We are taking it down tomorrow, we are back at work on Tuesday and want it done before we go back.

My stay at home, atheist family always celebrated the full 12 days. I don't really see why atheism would mean that you can't sit around eating cheese surrounded by sparkly lights and greenery before heading off to a pantomime, new year's Eve party, ice skating, or a nice long walk.

I am not religious but I will not be taking our tree down until after new year. Usually we take it down on New year's Day but I might leave it up a bit longer this year as the children are at home until 8 January.
It just makes the whole festival more relaxed somehow. Taking the tree down before new year seems - to me - to hint at moving onto the next thing in a hurry.
Reading this thread, it seems there has been a definite shift from Christmas + 12 days to Advent + Christmas.

Ours will be taken down around the 6th Jan, it only got up on the 22nd.

But, we never have/had toys in the living room. In our previous house the living room was so tiny, DD wasn't allowed in it on her own, we had a spare box room as a playroom. So all toys automatically never stayed downstairs anyway. When we moved we just kept it that way, apart from Lego nothing is downstairs.

Cathf - we’re a Advent + Christmas home. Now Christmas is over we’re very much looking forward to New Year celebrations and on into 2018.

We'll probably have ours up long after Twelfth Night. I don't think it matters.

"Now Christmas is over"

That's not wholly true. Christmas is a 12 day feast (especially to those who are not Christian and are going for the older Yule-tide traditions)

Seems like 12 days only works if you are religious or have lots of family to visit.

???

Works in what way? How does it 'work' any differently from counting advent as Christmas and starting early December?

I'm an atheist but have always celebrated Christmas and the New Year up til 12th night because that's historically when it has always been. I have family to see, sure, but I also choose to see friends too as - it's Christmas.

I don’t know why people are insisting the Christmas is over . I’m an atheist but these days Christmas starts on 25th, not when the decorations come to dosplay in shops. I think people bought into the whole December of run up by the time 26th comes they’ve had enough.

Everyone is different - for us Christmas has finished but now we’re leading up to the New Year celebrations. Regardless of what you call it, it’s a time for seeing friends and family, special food and drink, shopping in the sales, extra TV time, long lie ins - it’s what you make of it. There is no right or wrong.

I've taken the tree down today and replaced it with this.

I like to slowly de Christmas.

12th Night. Yule/Christmas is celebrated from Midnight on Christmas Eve until Midnight on 12th NIght. Traditionally presents can be given and feasts had during that whole period of rest. In the 16th century no one did any but the most vital work during that period. And the 12 days of Christmas follow the 4 weeks(ish) of Advent. Advent is supposed to be a fast like Lent .

Greenery (Holly and Ivy etc) taken into the home is a very, very old custom first for Yule and then for Christmas and the tree is just part of that custom.

I'd no more chuck my tree/greenery out before Twelfth Night than I'd start celebrating Hannukah a week in advance, light all the lights at once and then bin the Hannukiah before the end of the 8 Nights.

Just seen the Nationwide 'Chrimbo Limbo' ad on telly and I really like it! (Unlike the awful poetry ones they've had up to now). That really encapsulates this week - staying in pjs on the sofa, watching telly, eating trifle ... and personally I like to do all that in a twinkly decorated house . Not so bothered about it being dusted and fresh yet!

Just having a very Christmassy feeling day, it is snowing outside, a walk into town in the snow, back for Baileys and mince pies beside the log burner and Christmas tree. Time to relax and enjoy our Christmas celebrations, enjoy our new board games and eat up the Christmas food. Fab!

I'm in the mood for a Wassail. Which turns out to be hot mulled cider. I'm snuggly in my new Christmas cashmere socks, eating Pringles and watching a Christmas movie that I didn't get time to watch before. Got a party tonight.

Riding I don’t think there’s any need to pick apart my comment. We’ve had pages and pages of people reading subtext that isn’t there or picking apart poorly worded comments. I asked a question and some people were kind enough to answer.

I’m not religious, I don’t have lots of family to visit, DH never really stopped working but was back in the office on the 27th. I have small children, all the Christmas stuff I wanted to do with them was only available pre-Christmas.

So for me, the descriptions of what other people do during this period don’t work. That’s what I meant.

If you’ve got family off work and are enjoying this period I would think that would make you more tolerant of people who don’t have that. Not less.

My tree is merrily being taken down as we speak! I can't wait for my nice clean and tidy house to be back!

Just taken mine down now and restoring the house to its pre-Christmas order. To be fair, there is still a lot of greenery and fairy lights all year round... interestingly, since a few people have mentioned traditional Yule, I’m a practicing Pagan and for me the Winter Solstice on the 21st is more meaningful as a celebration - the tree is always up then and usually goes down around or right before the New Year. I like these quiet, dark fallow days between the festivities and Hogmanay and always use them as an excuse to finish getting my house in order, both literally and metaphorically. I just like entering a new year without any of the previous year’s clutter!

Ours is down, packed away back in the loft
All cards are gone, the house is back to normal.
I do love the build up, but after boxing day I find it all so depressive.
Couldn't face another weekend of it all.
Tree didn't go up until the 14th

I like taking the tree down on New Year's Day, seems a nice ritual. Very jealous of people with snow and log burners and so on. Down here it has done nothing but rain practically the whole holiday. So grim.

I will take ours down at 12th night because it is our tradition. I love Christmas so much I never want the tree gone lol!

We have snow - maybe that’s what makes me feel I can take the tree down but it still feels Christmassy!

Mine came down today.

Same Ruffian- if there was snow I may feel a bit more festive!

Really dismal isn't it Accidentally? I would have loved to go up to Dartmoor in the snow for a crisp xmas walk but everywhere's just a mudbath Been an awful year weatherwise down here moan moan...