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Original poster

Taking the tree and decorations down on Boxing Day

141 replies

ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 19/12/2022 13:59

I mean, what? It is still the Christmas / festive period right up to New Year's Day.

I don't understand why decorations are put up as early as the day after Halloween (which I have seen people squealing about this year like no other) and then taken down whilst it is actually still Christmas.

Mine aren't going up until Wednesday this week at the earliest and will come down 6 January as I'm away for a few days after New Year.

OP posts:
emmathedilemma · 19/12/2022 14:01

some people go back to work on the 27th, maybe they consider that to be christmas over and done with. I often take mine down between Xmas and NY if i'm going away for NY as it really feels like Christmas is well and truly over when you get back. This year it isn't going up at all! There's no rules, people can do whatever suits them.

SpentDandelion · 19/12/2022 14:06

It doesn't matter and nobody cares who does what. You do you and allow others their own choices.

MrsMontyD · 19/12/2022 14:08

Mine are always down before I go back to work, this year they'll probably be down on the 28th because they're going into storage in anticipation of moving before next Christmas and I want to get that done before new year.

Mercurial123 · 19/12/2022 14:09

I never understand why people are so concerned when other people put their tree up and then remove decorations. It's not very interesting is it?

RoseAndRose · 19/12/2022 14:11

The full festival of Christmas, and it's old pagan cousin Yule, was 12 days.

I think its a real shame to cut it short, even if you have to go to work some days.

January can be dreary enough, without taking away sparkle and celebration in the first week

Fairislefandango · 19/12/2022 14:13

People can do what they like, and I imagine that if your decorations have been up for weeks and weeks it might be quite a relief to get back to normal. That's one reason why I don't put mine up until about the 16th December.

MissMaple82 · 19/12/2022 14:13

It's fucking mind boggling!! I take mine down 2nd/3rd Jan

curiouslycinnamon · 19/12/2022 14:14

It's because people get too excited and have no concept of patience/ delayed gratification. Then by the time christmas actually comes around, they are fed up of it 😂

CaitoftheCantii · 19/12/2022 14:14

It was a joke in my family that Boxing Day was for boxing up the Xmas decorations… put them up on the 24th and take them down on the 26th!

🥳

LindorDoubleChoc · 19/12/2022 14:15

Yanbu OP. It's hard to understand why people participate in Christmas when they want to do it "their way" in such an odd way. Christmas traditions are just that ... traditions. Fair enough to add your own, or not have turkey or whatever, but not actually having a nod to observing the 12 days of Christmas by keeping decorations up til the 6th of Jan?

mynameisnotkate · 19/12/2022 14:23

Definitely still Christmas period for us until twelfth night - all decorations down on the 5th. We put the tree up last weekend and the rest of the decorations (mostly holly and ivy) yesterday.

What I think is weird is our local panto being on till Jan 22nd. I can’t imagine wanting to see a panto at all in late Jan.

Tittyfilarious81 · 19/12/2022 14:29

I take mine down before new years eve , I don't like them up at new year at all I've always felt like if the tree is up I'm taking an old year into the new , but that's just me mil has hers up til the 5th

HelloCanYouHearMe · 19/12/2022 14:32

Mine went up last week and will be taken down on boxing day.

I have a small house, the tree is in the way and there are no kids about to get under my feet on the 26th

HTH

hiredandsqueak · 19/12/2022 14:41

Mine will go down on 28th, I don't like Christmas, I put them up because I host Christmas here. Once my guests have gone there is no need for them to be up any longer. If I ever get the opportunity to have the sort of Christmas I'd prefer then they wouldn't go up at all.

user58202018484482910ugog19293843910 · 19/12/2022 14:51

I leave a few but take the tree down for space

PurpleButterflyWings · 19/12/2022 14:51

ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 19/12/2022 13:59

I mean, what? It is still the Christmas / festive period right up to New Year's Day.

I don't understand why decorations are put up as early as the day after Halloween (which I have seen people squealing about this year like no other) and then taken down whilst it is actually still Christmas.

Mine aren't going up until Wednesday this week at the earliest and will come down 6 January as I'm away for a few days after New Year.

I know right. Some people seem SO proud of the fact they take the decorations down on Boxing Day, and act like they're better than those who leave them up til January. Personally I don't believe it. I don't anyone who does this in real life. ONLY on Mumsnet do people claim they do this.

KarenOLantern · 19/12/2022 14:53

I totally agree with you, I find it so depressing and miserable.

Fair enough, some people don't like Christmas at all, and maybe they only put their decorations up in the first place to appease a family member or something, that I can understand. But those who put their decorations up in November only to take them down on Boxing day... what the hell is the point of all that build up only to not actually enjoy the full Christmas period?

I think @curiouslycinnamon has it right: It's because people get too excited and have no concept of patience/ delayed gratification. Then by the time Christmas actually comes around, they are fed up of it

I can understand people who take them down on NYD or NYE, the whole thing of starting a new year with the old year's decorations but come on, Boxing Day?!

mondaytosunday · 19/12/2022 14:54

A family I knew growing up did this - it felt so sad! I also hate it when I go to the shops snd they've taken it all down and replaced it with 'sale' signs.
I put mine up first weekend of December and I'm itching to take it down by New Years, which seems like a natural end to the holidays.

Itstime1 · 19/12/2022 15:05

I’m not as bad as Boxing Day… 27th for me!
It will be 29th this year as we’re doing a second family Christmas so need to keep them up for this. We put ours up the first weekend in Dec as my DH comes from a Nov family… I would happily put them up Christmas Eve and down 27th 😂

We keep one little decoration up till the 12th night though. I HATE the thought of going into a new year with all the Christmas clutter out. It stresses me out but everyone is different!

skyeisthelimit · 19/12/2022 15:16

I'm with you OP on this one. I know a couple of people who are like it in real life and they are the ones who put everything up on 1 December if not earlier, then declare on Boxing Day that Christmas is over.

I still go with taking them down on 12th Night. We only do a tree and that usually goes up a week before Christmas although isn't up yet. We stay at my parents for a few days then DD goes to her father for a few days, so we like to enjoy them together for a few days after that.

I don't get all of this premature decorating and then declaring Christmas is over so soon. The whole time is the festive period.

MarshaBradyo · 19/12/2022 15:17

We have a party on NYE so it’ll be down before then to prepare

emmama2 · 19/12/2022 15:17

It's my daughters birthday on the 2nd Jan so our decs go down just after Boxing Day to make way for birthday. We worried that Christmas would overshadow her birthday and we found it helps massively putting the decorations away. Our decorations go up for Christmas the weekend before the start of December so we would have had them up for a long while before taking them down

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 19/12/2022 15:19

Literally has zero baring on my life what other people do with their decorations. It's never bothered me. Just let people get on with it

I personally can't stand decorations up after NYE. So that's when they come down. Start the new year with a nice clean organised house. I put ours up first week in December as a rule.

Original poster
ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 19/12/2022 15:19

I remember coming back from the Supreme Cat Show at the NEC one year and seeing a house decked out, inside and out, with fairy lights, tree and inflatable snowmen.

It was 24 October!

OP posts:
KarenOLantern · 19/12/2022 15:20

I don't get all of this premature decorating and then declaring Christmas is over so soon. The whole time is the festive period.

What irritates me even more is when the extreme-premature-decorators accuse those of us who decorate on a reasonable date of hating Christmas or being grinches or scrooges, but then we're the ones who actually want to enjoy the full Christmas period whereas they're the ones who won't even let it last a full two days, and are calling an end to it before the second bank holiday is even over. How miserable.