To leave Christmas decorations up a little longer?

[FestiveFruitloop]

NC for this as I'm a little embarrassed.

To clarify: I'm not planning to become one of those eccentric 'leave them up all year' people (far too much dusting for starters!) No, but I'm thinking of leaving the decs up till later in January, possibly the end of the month. No, I'm not crazy. I'm always a little sad when the decorations come down, but this year I've realised properly for the first time why that is. It's not just my inner little kid coming out to play (although that too, lol); it's that while the decorations are up, they really help my SAD (which tends to kick my butt HARD for much of the winter) to an astonishing degree. It's not just the lights (although those are helping keep my spirits up no end), but the general festivity of Christmas decorations (and, at the moment, the wonderful smell our real tree is giving off, that's a real mood-lifter).

In a nutshell, I'm just not ready to let my festive mood go out the door along with Twelfth Night when it's helping so much with my SAD. I feel like this every year and I always thought I was just being a child. I partly am, I know that , but I'm also in a 'WTF!' mood about it this year, having realised how much the decs have been boosting my normally flat and vaguely depressed winter mood.

DH thinks I'm mad but doesn't actually mind, and my elderly mother who lives with us also has SAD and feels the same way as me about the decorations providing a 'lift'. So I'm giving serious thought to:

1. Leaving the tree up until it's shedding too many needles to be worth keeping up any more (dunno how long that will be for a cut tree, we've always been diligent and taken them down on 12th night) and just enjoying it to the full while it's alive. (Tree is in our conservatory at the back of the house, so there's no one to see from the street and think we're barmy.)

1. Continuing to switch on the fairy lights we have strung up around the conservatory and in the porch, and keeping the two strings of lights we have outside on the fence going on their timer setting until the batteries conk out (and possibly beyond, because I find them so cheering).

1. Keeping the rather wonderful winter display I've created on a chest of drawers in the hall, and just removing a couple of the more overtly Christmassy items.

Hoping that by the time everything finally does have to come down, the longer days will have kicked in and my SAD won't lie as heavily on me any more, that usually tends to be the pattern.

I've got to be honest, the more I think of doing this, the more I want to just say 'sod it' and do it. AIBU? (and I'm quite prepared to be told I'm a whack job, BTW.)

Second attempt at pictures!

You do whatever makes you happy. I have left decorations up longer than the usual - maybe end of the second week of January - because I was having people round for food and drinks. It was good!

I agree with the pp that the old-fashioned bulb lights give the nicest glow. We have them entwined on bedsteads, (also in unused fireplaces and entwined on bannisters), and I don't care about the detractors either. They are apparently healthier than burning the stylistically more approved of candles. In the garden we have some by a little stove - we sometimes get well wrapped up and sit out under the stars with a hot drink or toddy.

I like these as well.

I feel exactly the same, I don’t want the tree to come down this year :(

A thought though, for those with SAD, consider taking Vit D? My mother has had SAD for many years, taking Vit D helped tremendously, better than daylight bulbs etc. NICE recommendations seem to indicate that most people should supplement through the winter.

And yes, your house, your rules, decs stay up until you decide!

I've only just got mine exactly as I want them, they're up till at least February here. I don't care, I like them. Go on OP, put some more up!

Do it OP! I suffer a little from SAD as well, so I understand how you feel.
We don't like a lot of clutter so I've already taken down the tree and the cards, but will leave some lights up until the end of January, to keep my spirits up. That way it doesn't look obviously Christmassy, but I have some pretty lights to take the edge off the dark days. By the end of January the days are noticeably longer and I start to feel that spring is not far away, but until then I do whatever I can to keep the winter blues at bay.
Just one thought - if your outside lights are set on flashing mode, your neighbours might have had enough of them (and Christmas) by now. So, maybe put them onto a static setting, or move them to your back garden, so you get to enjoy them but they don't annoy others. (I might be overthinking this, but it's good to keep on friendly terms with neighbours, if you can.)

Research the pagan festival of Imbolc, a very useful one for people who find winter long, hard and SAD. Lights, plants, anticipation of spring and all sorts. Yes, leave selected decorations and lights up, andbehappy.

Definitely do what makes you happy!
I hope your tree lasts that long tho, mine always falls to bits by 12th night.
My big suggestion is go with the lights!
Why not have fairy lights up all year round? I love lights.
I have a lighted tree that dd gave me 3 yrs ago it’s on all year round and makes me very happy!

I left mine up until may one year. No one really cared. Helped keep my spirits up and my cats loved their special giant toy.

I have coloured fairy lights up all year. I like them.

I still have my Christmas tree and decorations up and love all the fairy lights around the house
I have some lovely lights by cable and cotton, strung round some shelves in my bedroom , which I keep up all year long
You can get them in a variety of colours, I got some for my daughter at Christmas
It makes me happy to have them on when I'm in bed reading , especially in the dark days of winter
cableandcotton.com

Bad luck not take them down on the 6th after 12th night is cancelled if you leave them up till Candlemas.

I always keep mine until until at least February as January can be a bleak month.

I do take down the Xmas cards and Xmas baubles but keep my two trees up and all the lights. I don't really care what the neighbours think. They can do their own thing in their own houses!

My Christmas room becomes a winter Forrest room.

Mine were up and down within 10 days but I have OCD and really struggle with the extra stuff in the house.

However, in your situation as you describe it I absolutely would keep them up and I get what you mean about the tree smell.
We had a real tree for the first 3 years in this house and a fake one for the last 2 and it's not the same.
Go for it

I'm feeling so inspired now, glad I started this thread. Thanks ladies! smiles I like the idea of varying different types of lights all year round, and I've definitely decided to have some form of festive/cheerful lighting up for the rest of the winter at least.

Also pleasantly surprised to find out I'm not the only one who has contemplated leaving decs up a little longer and/or actually done so!

@Yddraigoldragon I've heard vitamin D can help with the SAD, and I keep meaning to give it a go, so I'm going to do that too. :-)

I also meant to say, the lights don't flash, and are up a drive away from the street, so won't annoy the neighbours.

Do what makes you happy! I leave mine up until the end of January. Have done for the last ten years, January is such a drag and the decorations always lift my spirits, although DH moaning about when I’m taking them down is annoying, it’s the same every year!!