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Original poster

How long do you keep decorations up?

171 replies

ODFOgrinch · 02/01/2022 18:53

I'm a bit sad to see so many are taking their decorations down before 12th night, but it has made me wonder...
Are the people who decorate early the same people who get sick of the tree and take it down early?

So, how long are your tree and decorations up ? Ours went up on 17th (a week later than usual as we had COvID) and will be up until the 6th Jan, so they will have been up for 20 days.
How about your house?

OP posts:
SilverGlassHare · 02/01/2022 20:17

We put it up on the first weekend in December and take it down the weekend before Twelfth Night - we have a lot of decs as the house is quite big so it takes longer than a couple of hours!

cobblers123 · 02/01/2022 20:18

I've taken the tree decorations down about an hour ago, just left the battery lights that I want to run down so I can get rid of all the batteries. I will pack away everything tomorrow afternoon and shove back in the loft till next year.

I've eaten most of the chocolate tree decorations there are two left but I feel a bit sick now so the two left I'll eat tomorrow.

BeLessMe · 02/01/2022 20:20

We have taken ours down early for the first time ever.

We have always waited until 12th night before now. We only put them up second weekend in December, so not up at end of Nov or anything. It just felt falsely cheerful to have the lights twinkling away at the moment.

FruitToast · 02/01/2022 20:22

Up first day of Advent. Down on 12th night (5th Jan). Nativity stays until Candlemas (2nd February).

FuzzyPenguin · 02/01/2022 20:23

Mine went up the last week in November. I was going to wait for my day off on Wednesday to take them down, but had some spare time today. I could have waited but now it means I am not wasting my day off cleaning. I wasn’t sick of them and miss them now they are down.

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 02/01/2022 20:23

I need it down before the first of January.

Christmas is a December activity. New Year I like it all clean and fresh.

Having Christmas stuff up in January would stress me out.

(That’s just me. I have no opinion on what other people do.)

Also, I’ve only ever hear 12th night mentioned on MN. Is it a religious thing?

DeckTheHallsWithGin · 02/01/2022 20:24

Up first weekend in December, down before new year. Think it’s a cultural shift from celebrating the 12 days of Christmas to celebrating December and the run up to Christmas then having a declutter for New Year. Might be different without kids but I wouldn’t want it all up when they’re back at school. Life has moved on.

DontKeepTheFaith · 02/01/2022 20:25

Ours are gone. Went up late November, down today.

Wouldn’t have put them up if it were left to me, and I was keen for them to come down on Boxing Day but I am the Christmas Grinch this year and thankfully DH is a bit more measured and rational.

My mum always used to wait until 12th night and I did for a lot of adult life but we rebelled one year and we haven’t looked back. It’s very liberating to get the house back.

Fallagain · 02/01/2022 20:27

Tree goes up first weekend of December and down sometime between 2nd Jan and the schools going back.

RestingStitchFace · 02/01/2022 20:27

I've never really seen the point of keeping it up until Twelfth Night to be honest. All the festivities are done by Jan 1st. Started taking bits down today and will be finishing it tomorrow.

Tianatiers · 02/01/2022 20:28

If it were just up to me the decs would go up the second weekend in December and come down on 6th January. Since DC have been old enough to nag incessantly from the beginning of November about putting the decorations up, they’ve gone up the last weekend in November and I’m soooo ready to take them down asap in the new year. We took them down today and it’s so lovely to have the house back to normal. I was saying to DH that I used to get so sad in January when all the festivities were over. Since having DC, January is one of my favourite months! The calm after the the crazy. Love it.

Fallagain · 02/01/2022 20:28

@TheLightSideOfTheMoon

I need it down before the first of January.

Christmas is a December activity. New Year I like it all clean and fresh.

Having Christmas stuff up in January would stress me out.

(That’s just me. I have no opinion on what other people do.)

Also, I’ve only ever hear 12th night mentioned on MN. Is it a religious thing?

Christmas was originally a 12 day event starting on Christmas day with different celebrations on the following days. Advent was a period of fasting.
IncompleteSenten · 02/01/2022 20:29

Ours went up mid December and came down today.

NoWordForFluffy · 02/01/2022 20:30

Also, I’ve only ever hear 12th night mentioned on MN. Is it a religious thing?

It's always said with a tone of judgment on here!

Aderyn21 · 02/01/2022 20:30

Mine went up first week in December and came down New Years Day. I love my tree but I feel much better having done a proper clean of the house, which is difficult with decorations everywhere!
For me Christmas is over on NY day - it feels weird having a Christmas tree up in January.

TwinkleTwinkleLittleStarFightr · 02/01/2022 20:30

From the weekend before Christmas, until 12th night.

I can understand though, those that put them up super early getting bored of them.

Recumbenttrikesrule · 02/01/2022 20:30

@ODFOgrinch

I'm a bit sad to see so many are taking their decorations down before 12th night, but it has made me wonder... Are the people who decorate early the same people who get sick of the tree and take it down early?

So, how long are your tree and decorations up ? Ours went up on 17th (a week later than usual as we had COvID) and will be up until the 6th Jan, so they will have been up for 20 days.
How about your house?

Twelfth night is 5th Jan (you can do the arithmetic, 25th Dec is the first day of Christmas). It's the Eve of Epiphany which is the 6th Jan but traditionally all decorations should come down before midnight on 5th Jan....
NoWordForFluffy · 02/01/2022 20:33

@TwinkleTwinkleLittleStarFightr

From the weekend before Christmas, until 12th night.

I can understand though, those that put them up super early getting bored of them.

Mine is up for longer than yours. I just don't want it up until Twelfth Night due to timing.
poolblue · 02/01/2022 20:33

Last year I took down my decorations on 2 January then wished I hadn't as I missed the twinkly lights around the house. This year I'm keeping the tree up until it starts to lose its needles. Lights improve my mood so I may keep the ones up in the kitchen all year round.

AlexaShutUp · 02/01/2022 20:35

Our tree went up on 21st December. We always do it fairly close to Christmas so this wasn't unusual. We usually leave them up until 12th night, but this year, I decided I wanted them gone and we took them down on New Year's Eve. I like it so much better starting the new year without them, I'm going to stick with this approach in future years.

I love Christmas decorations, but for me, I don't want them up for weeks and weeks. My home isn't a department store!!

TwinkleTwinkleLittleStarFightr · 02/01/2022 20:36

Can I tack on a question …

I have seen more and more 12 days calendars in recent years. I’m just wondering if anyone buys a 12 days calendar but still takes the tree down part way through?

I can’t quite reconcile the rise of the 12 day calendar, with the shift to people taking decorations down early. Two conflicting trends.

jackstini · 02/01/2022 20:36

Up on December 1st
Came down today (usually Sunday closest to 12th night)

NoWordForFluffy · 02/01/2022 20:37

@TwinkleTwinkleLittleStarFightr

Can I tack on a question …

I have seen more and more 12 days calendars in recent years. I’m just wondering if anyone buys a 12 days calendar but still takes the tree down part way through?

I can’t quite reconcile the rise of the 12 day calendar, with the shift to people taking decorations down early. Two conflicting trends.

Never seen one and wouldn't be interested in getting one if I did. Where have you seen these? Niche market, I think.
MakingTheBestOfIt · 02/01/2022 20:40

Up on 13th December and down sometime over the next 3 days.

SecretKeeper1 · 02/01/2022 20:42

Depends on how the tree is looking! We put it up on 12th, took it down today as the needles were dropping. All nice and tidy again except I’m leaving the front door wreath up until my husband agrees to get a new door. I hate ours and the wreath makes it look better Grin