To think... take your Christmas decorations down?

[topspeed]

Some of my neighbours still have wreaths on their doors. Surely their decorations should come down now?

Any of you still got yours up?

@Tenyearsgone

There must be someone you can report them to.

Priceless!

Sorry OP. Our tree is still up and quite a few lights. The tree is particularly lovely this year and is even sprouting green shoots.
The Queen always keeps hers up until Candlemas (Feb 2nd) as that's the end of the Church's Christmas season.

If you'd like to start a thread on litter,though, I'll be right behind you!

I have my wreath still upoutside, i gues due to the fact am WFH and not really leaving the house it doesnt bother me. My Xmas lightes stay up outside as way oo uch work to take down and put up every year. i just dont switch on. Tree and all decorations came down on the 6th as am a stickler for tradition aswell as the local tree shreddng was over the weekend so needed to get it out. Also it gave me something to do during lockdown at the weekend so did a huge clean of where it was and all. There was an inititive that the lights inthe town stay on during January to help improve moral etc. It does annoy me a bit if i still see them up however not going anywhere so dont see them this year. It annoys me more when see xmas decorations up way to early or taken them down like the day after xmas but as people say let them do what they want in their own homes. Dont let it annoy you each to their own

Rather than looking back to Christmas which has been and gone, we should be looking forward to the brighter and lighter days of spring and summer

Why? Why should? We shouldn't be living life according to other people's rules when the outcomes do not directly affect anybody but ourselves. And why can't people do both? I don't have any decorations up but I'm still lighting candles, eating cheese and chutney as a snack and the winter throws are on the sofa. I can brighten the dark and enjoy the trappings while waiting for spring.

Some neighbours still have lights up and it's cheery.

Why on earth does it bother you?

I've never heard of candlemas, thanks for enlightening me, very interesting!

A few friends are keeping lights etc up until candlemas - they have removed the Christmassy bits though like Santa

DS1 hasn't taken his tree down yet. But that's because it's his first ever tree of his own, it's still in good nick (real tree) and he likes the smell (and frankly, anything to mask the slightly musty smell is a good thing )

A few house round by me still have their fairy lights on outside. I haven't taken mine down yet, and am considering starting to switch them on again. January is a miserable month any time, but this year it's extra miserable- why not have a little bit of cheer.

Our Bishop suggested we leave ours up to Candlemas.

Many of our Polish and Russian friends and neighbours have always left theirs up till Candlemas.

@Kokosrieksts

Why on earth does it bother you?

I would t say it bothers me, just asking the question and wondering why as I've never known it before. Thought tradition was 12 days after Xmas day. I've learnt a lot.

Yes. There's a house near me that's still got a painted Grinch and Santa all over the window. Doesn't really affect me in any way but it still annoys me for some reason. Christmas is long gone.

Around where I live people have wreaths on their door all year round - seasonal ones. Maybe people are just leaving up their winter wreaths.

It would be a bit odd keeping the full christmas tree up for much longer, but wreaths cheer up the neighbourhood surely?

Mines still up. I can't be bothered to take it down. Not hurting anyone else is it.

Plenty of Eastern European people still follow the tradition of leaving Christmas decorations up until Candlemas. Traditionally they don't put them up until Christmas eve. Though a few who I know now follow the local habit of putting them up late November/early December and leaving them up until Candlemas. Personally, as much as I love my Christmas decorations I am very glad not to have them up for over 2 months. I took mine down at the end of last week and I'm still marvelling at how ginormous my livingroom looks every time I go in there. And that's even with all the exercise equipment in it, as I've set it up as a bit of a gym to make lockdown/bad weather exercise easy.

@Tenyearsgone

There must be someone you can report them to.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Apparently some pps reasons are ok for leaving decs out so maybe everyone should put up a written reason next to their decs or lights for others to judge if its valid or not....?

Yes! This would make our walks much more interesting. We could hold up a mark out of ten for their reasoning.

You sound as much fun as the vicar we had who wouldn't allow Christmas Carols until sunset on Christmas Eve!
I would have thought that anyone could have a little empathy, in particular under current circumstances, and understand that people might want to hang on to the festive spirit for a little while longer.
We didn't bother with decorations this year, but I'm still enjoying seeing people's decorations up when I walk around the neighbourhood

One for the superstitious! I was always taught as a child that it is bad luck to leave your decorations up after 12th Night! My mother always held a big 12th Night Party and no matter what time it finished, we had to take the decorations down afterwards!

Ffs
Life is bloody miserable and grey at the moment.
If people want to leave decorations up to give themselves and other people a bit of cheer, let them do so.
II've kept a couple of Christmas table decorations out because they make the room look warm and welcoming.
I usually buy pot plants etc to replace them and take away the bareness but that's difficult to do at the moment.

Like gou, j'm one who would alsihave judged in the past for leaving devs up, but normal rules don't apply this year.

@MagicSummer

One for the superstitious! I was always taught as a child that it is bad luck to leave your decorations up after 12th Night! My mother always held a big 12th Night Party and no matter what time it finished, we had to take the decorations down afterwards!

The actual superstition is that you either take them down on 12th night OR you have to leave them up til Candlemas to avoid the “goblin”. If you believe in such nonsense.

One of our neighbours keeps them up all year!

@MiddleOfThePack

Yes! Xmas decs all down, apart from fire lights across porch & I have a seasonal wreath all year round since lockdown. The current one is white and silver with fairy lights.

Lots of neighbours have kept some lights up outside. Otherwise its just dull damp and depressing and we all need some joy.

This. I left some window lights up {those copper wire ''seed'' type lights} and love the outdoor lights that others have left up.

My door wreath quite often gets left up - I pack the decorations away and because it's not in the same room as where I'm doing the packing, I only remember to put it away a couple of weeks later. I've actually remembered this year.

I have white fairy lights up all year in the conservatory along the roof beams anyway, and some solar powered garden lights which I only bought running up to Christmas so the neighbours probably think they're still Christmas lights but they're not.

I thought it was the Evergreens that needed to be out of the house?
To return to the Woodlands from whence they came, originally.

Don't think fairy lights count, as have had them up for years, in different guises...As did Dad. He refused to take them down over the fireplace one year, so they stayed.

Wreath is off the door. Tree is still up with lights on. Other decorations are down except for a string of fairy lights in the hallway which go on instead of the overhead light.

Candlemas is 2nd Feb, some people might be leaving their decorations up until then.