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Christmas

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Original poster

Does anyone else not class Christmas as over till after new year?

149 replies

louisejaynn · 27/12/2023 11:08

My social media is full of
"Christmas over for another year "
"Decorations down for another year "
Is it just me who still celebrates Christmas till January?
I don't understand people taking decorations down when it's still festive.

OP posts:
Halloweenrainbow · 27/12/2023 14:30

Taking the tree down on boxing day seems crazy to me because I'm usually needing a rest christmas day. I need to keep the decorations up a few weeks to justify the effort of doing it in the first place. The decs come down around the weekend after new year and before school starts so this year it'll be 6th/7th Jan.

HardcoreLadyType · 27/12/2023 14:30

We put up our decorations in mid December. This year it was the 17th. (We put up the door wreath earlier - any time from 1 December, really.)

We take them down on or around 6 January, and have galette des rois for pudding that evening (so we do mark epiphany, but it’s pretty low key).

mondaytosunday · 27/12/2023 14:32

I thought by the holiday calendar January 5/6, but personally by January 1 or when the kids go back to school.

Jingleballs2 · 27/12/2023 14:33

I want the tree down, and presents put somewhere that isn't my living room floor 😬 it's all so messy.
I'll probably leave it for a couple of days though because DH says it's always doen too quick. Managed to get presents onto one of the sofas so I can have a good hoover

LynetteScavo · 27/12/2023 14:37

Christmas isn't over until epiphany.

I'm still working my way through various relatives and mince pies, so there's lots more Christmas to be had here!

PurpleOrchid42 · 27/12/2023 14:43

My family, when growing up, had a lot of family parties, right from Xmas Eve, through to New Year's Day. It was absolutely wonderful, and the Xmas excitement continued right through to New Year's Day. My husband's family barely do Xmas day IMO. They won't even play board games, no Xmas music playing, nothing. Even the food is roast duck, with shop bought packets of red cabbage, roast potatoes and broccoli. And NO GRAVY. That's it. And for dessert, those mini chocolate brownie squares and mini macaroons. I was so sad the first Christmas I spent at his Mum's house. Now we've got a couple of kids and have Xmas day at ours, and my husband cooks a beautiful goose with all the trimmings. But my family are all over the country, so no parties ☹️. Actually makes me really sad that it's basically just one day now. I was a VERY, very lucky child to have such special Christmases full of parties games, people playing guitar, wonderful food and drinks at several parties over the festive period. When I was a child I thought Xmas would always be like that. 😕

MabelQ · 27/12/2023 14:52

We are a second-generation homeschooling family, continuing a tradition of taking our available days off during the lead-up to Christmas. It leaves plenty of time for art projects, cookie baking, homemade gift projects, church events, cozy days spent listening to audiobooks and reading Christmas legends. The trade-off is that we dive back in much earlier than a traditional school would!

My husband is back at work today, it’s dreary and rainy, and I’m 34 weeks pregnant. So I am ready - as I always am! - to reset the house and clear the decks and get a nice January start in a cleared-up home Lord willing.

Maybe it’s because we always put presents under the tree as we wrapped them in the days leading up to Christmas, but I’ve always felt the tree looks sad and lonely after gifts are opened and put away.

Christmas is a VERY big deal in our family… but being squared away for a fresh start to the new year, routines, and the rest of school is very important also.

WhatNoRaisins · 27/12/2023 14:52

For me it's New Year's Day at the absolute earliest, I'd love to do 12 days but my children's school seem to want to go back as early as possible in January. To me it's really odd to not see any part of December as the Christmas season.

That said I also don't get putting up Christmas decorations really late, seems like a lot of effort for just a few weeks. Maybe it made more sense back when people had smaller trees and a string of 20 lights was a big deal.

Dontcallmescarface · 27/12/2023 14:53

The few decorations I have up (no tree), will be packed away tonight as me and DP are both back to work tomorrow. They've been up for 2 weeks and that's plenty long enough for us.

SteggySawUs · 27/12/2023 14:53

Christmas ends on January 1st here. This is the best week of the year! Decorations up, lots of yummy food, lazy days. To us this week IS Christmas!

SallyWD · 27/12/2023 14:58

Christmas is 12 days and not over until twelfth night. That's when I take my decorations down

TerroristToddler · 27/12/2023 15:00

I get why you'd want to keep Christmas going if you are still off work and in holiday mode - absolutely, and I'd do the same myself.

However, I'm at work today - I only get the bank holidays off which is a PITA. Lots of annual leave left to use, but end of Dec is the end of quarter and end of our financial year at my work so we're frantically busy closing deals and trying to get as much revenue in as we can!

So I'm in the 'Xmas is over' camp. My kids and DH are still off till next Tuesday though, but as we can't do anything altogether as a family it does tend to feel a bit like any other school holiday once I'm back in the office!

MissBuffyAnneSummers · 27/12/2023 15:01

It's not over till Hogmanay and New Years Day are done amongst nearly everyone I know.

Merrymouse · 27/12/2023 15:02

SteggySawUs · 27/12/2023 14:53

Christmas ends on January 1st here. This is the best week of the year! Decorations up, lots of yummy food, lazy days. To us this week IS Christmas!

Agree.

I love the pause of this week. After 1st January I want to look forwards though and get on with the new year.

The tree is also very much ready to re-enter the circle of life by New Year and I don’t want to be putting away decorations on 12th night if we are all back into work and school.

SteggySawUs · 27/12/2023 15:07

Merrymouse · 27/12/2023 15:02

Agree.

I love the pause of this week. After 1st January I want to look forwards though and get on with the new year.

The tree is also very much ready to re-enter the circle of life by New Year and I don’t want to be putting away decorations on 12th night if we are all back into work and school.

Show quote history

Totally!!

ChristmasIsComing2023 · 27/12/2023 16:19

I’m not sure really 🤔 Dp definitely says Christmas is over as soon as Christmas Day is. Growing up it was Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, normal days in between, New Years Eve and New Year’s Day then back to normal 🤔
So I suppose that Christmas is over but the Christmas period/holiday isn’t as there’s still chocolate, nice biscuits, crisps and party food to eat. Ds still has presents to open and he’s enjoying playing with his new toys 🤗
I have new things to wear/read/use as does dp.
But there is stuff everywhere that needs to be sorted/put away/found homes for.
The tree and decorations will probably stay up until the 5th/6th unless dp wants them down for his birthday 🤷‍♀️

educatingrati · 27/12/2023 17:27

Christmas is only over when the last of the festive food is demolished so Christmas Eve in this house! Our decs all come down on the 5th. But we normally only put the up the weekend the kids break up.

educatingrati · 27/12/2023 17:30

I've always kept a Christmas present back for the kids and they get it on the 1st. My mum always did this for me, and it just makes NYD a bit more exciting!

RafaistheKingofClay · 27/12/2023 17:35

drspouse · 27/12/2023 12:52

Tree and decorations up till the 6th, mini nativity up till Feb 2nd.

Just realised I forgot to put the baby Jesus in t he mini nativity when I got home last night. Shock

Poblano · 27/12/2023 17:41

Our tree will come down on the 6th. DH and I aren't back in work until the 8th, DD is back in school on the 9th.

We don't put our tree up very early though, around a week before Christmas. I'm sure I'd be fed up too if I'd put it up on December 1st!

Crikeyalmighty · 27/12/2023 17:44

We always go abroad for 5 days till NY- back on 3rd , so tree etc will come down on 4th

SoOutingWhoCares · 27/12/2023 17:51

We're religious and celebrate right up until and including Epiphany. Most of our decorations come down on the 6th after we've done the Epiphany House Blessing. Right now, Christmas has only just begun, prior to that we were in Advent which is a time of preparation, not celebration for us. It's more like Lent so we're careful not to be too influenced by what is going on secularly.

The season of Christmastide actually lasts until Candlemas/The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus on the 2nd February...we sometimes leave some lights and our manger up until then, and the manger stays up in church until Candlemas too.

Usernumber3736372836373 · 27/12/2023 18:19

I was just thinking about this. Many years ago I felt like Christmas lasted longer. Shops shut for longer many years ago maybe?! We visited family between Christmas and new year and had a great time.

I think it’s because many people don’t have much time off for Christmas possibly?

anyway, my tree is staying up until after new year! I took it down early one year for space (kids were little and toys bigger) and it was so depressing.

theduchessofspork · 27/12/2023 18:24

PuffyShirt · 27/12/2023 11:33

We very much treat the whole week between as Christmas. Back to normal on 2nd.

Yes this

theduchessofspork · 27/12/2023 18:25

Usernumber3736372836373 · 27/12/2023 18:19

I was just thinking about this. Many years ago I felt like Christmas lasted longer. Shops shut for longer many years ago maybe?! We visited family between Christmas and new year and had a great time.

I think it’s because many people don’t have much time off for Christmas possibly?

anyway, my tree is staying up until after new year! I took it down early one year for space (kids were little and toys bigger) and it was so depressing.

Actually it feels to me it lasts longer because more people take time off between Christmas and New Year?

But that might just be my life