Taking down Christmas decorations

[Differentstarts]

I know im being unreasonable as its none of my business what other people do but I get really annoyed at people who put Christmas decorations up in October and then take them down boxing day or like my friend Christmas day. I don't know why this annoys me but it does what happened to it being done on or at least around the 6th January. I'm just curious what others do?

It takes quite a long time to get all our decorations down, packed and stored in the loft so it just makes practical sense to do it while we're still both off work. DH goes back on the 2nd so we'll take down the tree, decorations and outside lights on New Years day. We put them up first weekend in December (because we have a DD who likes the tree to be up in time for her early December birthday) so we've had plenty of time to enjoy them by then. It honestly never occurred to me that people who don't live here would care one way or another! We're certainly not going to inconvenience ourselves by taking decorations down on a busy working day just because some people like to do theirs on the 6th of January and think that means everyone should do the same.

I think I’m quite lucky that my offspring’s school didn’t close til after lunch on 20th December, and the children don’t go back until 9th January, so makes having that time as the relaxed Christmas season eminently doable.

I usually get our tree and put all the decorations up on the first weekend in December. Everything.goes away 31 December (so I've done this today) ready for the new year. I go back to work on 2 December and I would want them down and away by then.

I feel lucky that we’ve not taken the decorations down yet. The weather here is appalling,lashing rain and wind, but the tree lights and decorations still provide some comfort and cheer.

I've still got my christmas lights on but will start taking decs down tomorrow and hopefully get them all in the loft by 12th night.

I love Christmas. But also love bright and sparkling stuff. So I put mi up early and take them down late.

Each to their own, but I feel it's a bit miserable when people talk about being sick of them. Sick of fun and pretty things?

Agreed, as I feel exactly the same. Our decorations and tree are coming down on the 5th. What we're sad about is the apparent "shifting" of the Christmas season to what is technically Advent, with 25th December being regarded as the end of it rather than the start. Aside from the traditional "twelve days", New Year has always been part of the overall celebration for us and there was never any question of removing the decorations before NYE. It's just as easy to clean the house for that much vaunted "fresh start" on 6th January as on the 1st!

I finished packing up the last of the decorations on Saturday, only for DD (5) to get them out again on Sunday and start redecorating! She said that when Christmas ends in my world, it begins in hers. 🤨 I might let her keep a row of snowman baubles on display as a compromise. She has pleaded for these, arguing that there’s a snowman in Frozen and it “isn’t even a Christmas film”. Why are five-year-olds so stubborn?

Agreed, as I feel exactly the same. Our decorations and tree are coming down on the 5th. What we're sad about is the apparent "shifting" of the Christmas season to what is technically Advent, with 25th December being regarded as the end of it rather than the start. Aside from the traditional "twelve days", New Year has always been part of the overall celebration for us and there was never any question of removing the decorations before NYE. It's just as easy to clean the house for that much vaunted "fresh start" on 6th January as on the 1st!

But how are you still celebrating when everyone is back to school and work and it's all done? Me and DH back to work 2nd kids school back on the 3rd.
Each to their own but for me as soon as NYD is over we're all back to normal so the decs just become one more nagging chore to be done. Like the ironing.
I guess if we could actually stretch out Christmas to 12 days maybe we would, but surely the only people who can are those that don't work?

But how are you still celebrating when everyone is back to school and work and it's all done? Me and DH back to work 2nd kids school back on the 3rd
Just by having the decorations up and still finishing the Christmas food. That makes it still Christmas for me!

What bugs me a bit, is the comments from people who decorate too early, then take them down on boxing day. 1st of Jan and they'll act all shocked said things like "Oh you've still got your decs up?!! I couldn't wait to get them down and have a good clean" Like they are somehow cleaner and I'm lazy for having them up until the 5th. When mine are up for a month, while theirs have been up for two!

We take 2 weeks off at Christmas. Broke up Friday 22nd, back today. Schools and colleges round here were back today too. Our Christmas period only finished on the 5th.

But you get it the other way too - people who act all shocked about people putting their tree up on the 1st on December, saying they couldn't possibly have time to do the tree yet etc.

Yes you do, I think anytime after the 1st of December is fair. I very much feel that NYE is part of the Christmas holiday though, so decs should still be up for that. So it depends how long you're happy to have them up for and put them up according to that.
If NYE isn't part of Christmas, it would be better to celebrate it at the start of Spring. The time of new life and new beginnings. Instead it's just more glittery stuff and over indulgence, very much in keeping with Christmas.

Up two weeks before Christmas and down on the 6th January. I'm obviously getting old and grumpy because I find myself tutting at 'the way they're changing things these days' then I check myself and mmob, as I should.

I couldn't care less what other people do.

Mine tend to go up on the first weekend in December, and come down on new years day.

Mine go up first weekend in December, down first weekend in January.

I agree. The festive season for me begins in mid December and ends on 6 January It seems to be commonplace now to have work Christmas dos at the beginning of December or even earlier but that feels ridiculously early to me and always felt rather flat.

@Cattenberg your 5 year old is wiser than you think. Such joie de vivre shouldn't be squashed in one of tender years; not stubborn at all

Well, shockingly, my Christmas tree is still up. All other decorations packed away apart from lights down the bannister, but the tree is looking lovely, isn't in the way, cheers me and DH up, not dropping needles as was freshly cut and in water, and I'm too old to bother what anyone else thinks!! 🌲

I agree about the work do's etc being flat when they are too early in December too. We might try to get in the Christmas spirit at the start of December, but it doesn't really kick in until mid December. You can't sing along to "It's Chriiiiiiistmas" with any real feeling until nearer actual Christmas!

Ours go up the first weekend in December and come down on the 27th Dec

All the lights are still up outside and lots of fairy lights and candles inside too. Tree has gone out but the twinkling ss will stay for another month.

I put mine up on the 13th, they came down boxing day as I was just fed up of the clutter. (4 kids so decorations each year get broken)

I did decide that 1st January was too early to start a New Year diet, what with half a bottle of wine in the fridge and boxes of chocolates lying around.

Not RTFT, but we tend to put ours up early to mid Dec and then take them down after new year, but before 12th night.
I don't get annoyed by other people putting them up really early and then down immediately after Christmas, but it's not for me.

On a related point, our kids broke up really late (22nd?) this year, and have only just gone back yesterday and today, and us to work, and we've all said it's been one of the nicest, most restful Christmas holidays we've had in a long time.