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Original poster

When does Christmas 'end' for you?

205 replies

AD80 · 15/12/2021 13:04

When I was a kid I felt it was different compared to now. I felt like Christmas lasted for days after the big day, it would still feel magical between Christmas and new year. We'd visit family between Christmas and new year. I'm not sure if it was just because I was a kid, I was fortunate enough my parents had jobs where they'd be off for the whole festive period. But it felt like shops shut for a few days too! 🤷‍♀️

I'm not sure if it's just me or because I'm grown up but these days I feel like people forget about Christmas soon as the day is over. No Christmas songs played after the 25th! Shops back to normal. Often people take their decs down

What does it 'end' for you.

Won't be ready to let go this year. We all have covid at the minute. Dd was last to get and she won't be out of isolation until the 25th so we've pretty much missed the whole of December which makes me so sad 😪

I just feel like making it last this year. I don't take my tree down until after New Year's Day anyway!

I am going to look at doing things we'd normally do now after Christmas and hoping it'll still fee Christmassy !

OP posts:
MarmitesMyMate · 15/12/2021 14:51

It varies. We've had years when dd was a baby so had no clue. And ds had gone to his dad's Dsd was with her mum. And dh was back to work. So we took all down 27th. I do like to have down b4 nye as I struggle with ' clutter' and by then with the extra toys in the house my anxiety is through the roof. So I like to see ny in all fresh. This year will stay up longer as all the dcs r here the whole period

Floralnomad · 15/12/2021 14:53

December 29th /30th , we take the tree down and prepare for New Year all clean and tidy , but we are very Christmassy from the end of November ( our tree goes up on US Thanksgiving day )

Cattenberg · 15/12/2021 14:54

6th January for me. That said, I’ll be back at work on 3rd January.

The time from 27-31 December is a bit odd. In some previous jobs, we were all back in the office on 27th December, but not a lot got done until after New Year.

I agree with the PP who said it’s all Christmas, take it! I try to enjoy it even if I have to go back to work before 12th Night.

StrangerThanSpring · 15/12/2021 14:58

I take down the decorations on Boxing Day.

We celebrate New Year separately to Christmas.

Cattenberg · 15/12/2021 14:58

I’ve only just put my decorations up. If it were just up to me, I’d have left them until this weekend. That feels about right to me.

ivykaty44 · 15/12/2021 15:00

Unfortunately I feel that the large cooperate business want to drag family away and make them work in the shops and thus stop xmas prematurely

for me xmas lasts until around the 2nd or 3rd of January

I don't though go shopping and try to invite guests between xmas and new year to keep the festivities going

I also have friends that invite me for walks and cycling, which are festive occasions, adds to the celebration

Theforest · 15/12/2021 15:03

New Years Day. New beginning and all that

LittleMysSister · 15/12/2021 15:09

I'd say I feel festive and Christmassy until NYE, New Year's Day is always when the actual feelings of Christmas are gone for me.

But I do keep my decs up for the full 12 days after, I miss them so much when they're gone!

Scbchl · 15/12/2021 15:13

My daughters birthday is the second of January and she likes me to leave the decorations up till then. We meet up with different family members between Xmas and New Year and then her bday is the 2nd and my sisters is the 3rd so we celebrate till then. Can't understand people who put their trees up in November and then take them down boxing day when its still Christmas time, its just weird.

Strokethefurrywall · 15/12/2021 15:15

I usually take tree down between Xmas and new year depending. Some years it’s NY day.

If I’ve been “celebrating” Christmas all December with parties and dinners etc, then I’m usually all christmassed out and completely over it.

This year I’m not quite into the festive spirit just yet (although it’s building), so may leave it until NY.

I like to start the new year completely fresh, so rarely is my tree up beyond that.

UnsuitableHat · 15/12/2021 15:19

NYD

trappedsincesundaymorn · 15/12/2021 15:21

Apart from the tree everything else used to come down and all christmas cards taken down after Christmas dinner. It's my birthday on Dec 25th and so Christmas afternoon was when my parents would bring out the birthday gifts and all the birthday cards would be put up. Now I'm older everything gets packed away on New Years day, I find it depressing coming home from the first day back at work and having everything still up.

batmanladybird · 15/12/2021 15:22

@NalPolishRemover

12th night here too. I honestly think Christmas has totally become skewed & starts too early & ends too early & misses the mark of the actual Christmas period.

We only have our tree up so far, no other decorations- we'll do them this weekend.

I would be utterly sick of it all if I'd started in November !

I LOVE the period between Christmas & new year. Time off work. . The pressure of providing Christmas done. Books & wine & films & amazing food. I turn total hobbit for about a week & love it

This
steppemum · 15/12/2021 15:24

for me New Year.

It used to be twelth night, but now I like to get decs down before kids return to school

stayathomer · 15/12/2021 15:30

We take our decorations down the day before they go back to school. I always feel like doing it 2and jan but I push on for the kids and generally get into it again anyhoo!!!

Topseyt · 15/12/2021 15:50

New Year's Eve is the very latest I can stand to have decorations up.

Left to myself they might go up on Christmas Eve and come down on Boxing Day. I always compromised though when the children were young. They could put them up the day after schools broke up. I would pack them away on New Year's Eve.

Youngest daughter is at uni now and the older two are working. All will be coming to us next weekend, so they can do them early next week. 😎

languagelover96 · 15/12/2021 15:51

1st Jan usually

ffscovid · 15/12/2021 15:52

It's definitely Christmas until the New Year in our house but we don't start Christmas that early either (we will decorate the tree this weekend coming but have had a few Christmassy bits out for a week or so).
DH and I are lucky enough to not have to work from a few days before Christmas until the first week of Jan (same ever year) so we have that wonderful week inbetween where we can have lazy days with films and chocolate and cheese (plus the odd day visiting / hosting family, although probably not this year!). I avoid shops in this period because I find it depressing that everything Christmassy has gone. I used to work for a major supermarket in the early 00s and the decorations stayed up in store until the store shut the doors on New Year's Eve (we were always closed on New Year's Day).
For those who put the tree up in November, I can understand why they're sick of it by Boxing Day.

soughsigh · 15/12/2021 16:06

People start with the Christmas stuff in October, it's no wonder they're sick of it by Christmas day and the decorations are down on boxing day.

We don't put up our tree till mid Dec and take it down 6th of Jan. I refuse to contemplate Christmas until December.

lazylinguist · 15/12/2021 16:06

I hate starting Christmas early. We put our tree and decorations up around 12th-15th December and usually take it all down in 2nd January. All my family and dh's family have the whole Christmas period off (all work in schools or are retired!). We are always either away or hosting for New Year, so we don't de-Christmas the house until guests have gone.

BiscuitLover3679 · 15/12/2021 16:07

New Year's Day. We're often still seeing family and eating rubbish, plus the tree is up. It is what you make it!

MintyCedric · 15/12/2021 16:13

January 2nd for me.

We have the tree up earlier in the month, but it starts in earnest for me on Christmas Eve and the week in between is all about relaxing, eating delicious food and doing whatever we feel like.

I've only my mum and 17yo DD in the way of actual family, and my best friend who is as good as, so no mammoth celebrations or visiting. Am hoping to go out on NYE this year for the first time in living memory if Covid doesn't bugger it up again.

NeverDropYourMoonCup · 15/12/2021 16:15

The effect that gap has on people's mental health if they have little contact with colleagues (as they're on leave with their families), they've been stuck 24/7 with awful relationships for two weeks, the weather and everything else means that I'm done with it by the 27th.

Then the place gets a good clean, we spend as much time as possible outside in daylight and take it as a 'wellness' week before going straight back to work after the Bank Holiday. Well, assuming that it isn't all closed for yet another lockdown, at any rate.

HeadPain · 15/12/2021 16:22

Won't be ready to let go this year. We all have covid at the minute. Dd was last to get and she won't be out of isolation until the 25th so we've pretty much missed the whole of December which makes me so sad 😪

I just feel like making it last this year. I don't take my tree down until after New Year's Day anyway!

I am going to look at doing things we'd normally do now after Christmas and hoping it'll still fee Christmassy!

So basically OP, sorry your family are all suffering with covid. Like I say, you can definitely continue Christmas after NY day and it wouldn't be wrong. Epiphany (3 Kings) January 6th, twelfth night, all still Christmas, so don't feel at all wrong or bad about "making it last" beyond NY day. I only just learned that the "12 Days of Christmas" actually BEGINS on the 25th December, rather than ends on that date.
Anyway, continue until you want to, do what you want/need to do. It's not unheard of for people to move Christmas around even by months to suit their personal situations. Again, sorry you're ill and it's spoiled your festivities, hope you're all feeling better soon.

witsendeverytime · 15/12/2021 16:34

I hate it when I see Christmas trees discarded a couple days after Christmas and the decoration replaced with 'SALE' signs in the stores. I worked in a big retail store on Christmas Eve and the last hour was spent taking all the decorations down.
I live Christmas but by New Years I'm getting a bit over it - but generally it's 12th night or when the kids go back to school.