When do your decorations come down?

[Darcy Baldwin]

I'm seeing people on FB already taking their trees down...and that makes me sad. Now..tomorrow, I might be ready to, as well. This is the 12 Days of Christmas..and we celebrate through the full 12 days, until the Epiphany. THEN it all comes down in a hurry!

But I was curious when you take yours down - inside decorations, that is?

[Valgal]

January 1st!

[NeverendingJen]

normally on new years day, but this year we aren't even celebrating christmas until january 6th, so it will be somewhere after that

[Darcy Baldwin]

Jen - are you guys Orthodox or are family circumstances doing that?

[nikkiARNGwife]

Took mine down this morning lol

[nun69]

I have the whole month of Jan off so I am in no hurry to take it down...gonna enjoy it while I can :) but more than likely sometime after the 1st :)

[LenaGardner]

Our option wasn't up there...we often take the tree down on the 25th. We didn't celebrate Christmas until the 26th here this year but the tree is coming down today. I'm honestly not a huge Christmas tree person once Christmas is over. It symbolizes warmth and excitement and anticipation for me, and once the celebration is over, I just want it out of the way so I can clean up and have my space back...the tree is big and our living room is small :) I completely understand I'm the odd one out though!

[KyRainbow]

Mine always comes down within a day or two after Christmas. I love my decorations before Christmas, the anticipation, celebrating the season, but once Christmas is over, I'm ready for it to be gone. My tree and inside decorations are all down and put away already, lol. (Well, my tree's out in the yard waiting to be taken to the recycling place tomorrow.)

[Valgal]

You didn't include mid-spring as a poll option ;)

[NeverendingJen]

Jen - are you guys Orthodox or are family circumstances doing that?

family circumstances- the kids are at their bio mom's for the holiday this year, so we are waiting to celebrate once they get back.

[adrianka]

Normally, until 6 January - it's a holiday (Epiphany) so there's time, also traditionally the tree should stay decorated until that holiday.

However, I'm the only one capable of doing this at home, and ever since I left home, the de-decoration depends on when I leave. So this year it will either have to be done on 1 January or wait until February or Easter (depending on when I come again). My personal record was April. This comes from having an artificial tree.

I have friends who kept postponing to for so long that in the end they kept the tree all year long until next Xmas. :-)

P.S. Just read the other posts - and there I thought how stressful it would be this year, since I never do it on 1 January - and now I see some people do it deliberately on that day. Wow. My programme of choice on that day would be sleep long and do nothing.

[adrianka]

You didn't include mid-spring as a poll option ;)

Amen.

I also miss the "Why de-decorate? Let's leave them on until next Christmas" option. :-)

[Darcy Baldwin]

hee hee <miniant starting>

BUT CHRISTMAS ISN'T OVER!!!!

<miniant over>

A - I once kept a real tree on the back porch of my apartment til sometime late March. I'm allergic to them, but had purchased a real one one year to impress some boy that I was meeting (good thing he married me!). As soon as he left, I tossed it out back to get it out so I could recover, and then promptly forgot about it. I usually never walked that way when coming in from my car/mail, and didn't go out there during the winter. One day, staying home from work, I went to get the mail..and looked...OOPS! Russ was coming again in 2 days to visit, and I had him take it out to the dumpster LOLOL

[adrianka]

Oh, I also have to add that in Slovakia we only decorate the tree right before Christmas or on Christmas Eve, so there would be no point in de-decoratin it 3 days after. In my mind, it's Christmas time until 6 January.

[adrianka]

hee hee <miniant starting>

BUT CHRISTMAS ISN'T OVER!!!!

<miniant over>

A - I once kept a real tree on the back porch of my apartment til sometime late March. I'm allergic to them, but had purchased a real one one year to impress some boy that I was meeting (good thing he married me!). As soon as he left, I tossed it out back to get it out so I could recover, and then promptly forgot about it. I usually never walked that way when coming in from my car/mail, and didn't go out there during the winter. One day, staying home from work, I went to get the mail..and looked...OOPS! Russ was coming again in 2 days to visit, and I had him take it out to the dumpster LOLOL

10 points to you, Darcy. And yes, I join you in that miniant - see the post I wrote without having read yours. :-)

[jessica31876]

Sometime after the kids go back to school. This year it is January 3rd so it'll be down sometime that week.

[Andrea Gourley]

We will take our decorations down next weekend - Sunday or Monday. I go back to work the following Tuesday and we like to make a fresh start.

I am always so sad when the decorations come down, especially the twinkly fairy lights.

[suze]

I would normally do it in the next few days after ALL mini christmas is over. We technically have one Friday with my father's side then one Saturday with Josh's grandparents. I wait till all are over then they come down. I have a new frame that needs to go there that we got as a gift :)

[emmasmommy]

i took mine down this am. mostly because i don't deal well with clutter and i miss my normalcy. our house is small and with the tree up, well, we barely have a living room. taking my tree down doesn't mean that christmas is over, it means that i want my living room back :)

[MamaBee]

I wait until Epiphany... as you, Darcy, I strong believe that Christmas isn't over yet! I also love the light that the tree gives off at night.

adrianka - LOL... one year when I was in my apartment, my tree was up until well after Easter. I was traveling so much for work that I didn't get to it when I was home. My mom (who was collecting my mail and checking on my place ever so often) got so sick of seeing it that she finally had to take it down. ha, ha...

However... my mom had a tree (we only have artificial) in their den. The den was decorated in a woodsy/cabin type theme, so she left the tree up in the corner and replaced the Christmas ornaments with all different kinds of little bird houses. It was really cool.

[MandaT]

Ours is down & so is the rest of the Christmas decor, it's also put away and on the way out to the garage. Our house is small (1200 sq ft for 5 of us) and I need my space back. Its been up since early in December & the tree was DEAD & dropping needles everywhere, with a 9 month old where everything goes into his mouth, it was time to exit.

[maryinaz]

For me, it is SOOOOO much work putting up the trees and all the decorations that I like to leave it all up long enough that it's worth it! When I was a child, we never took the tree down until after "Little Christmas" on January 6 (Epiphany). But as a working adult, I need to get it down when I have the time and that is usually on New Year's.

I seriously dread it though. :(

[gypsystar]

I never thought I would be one of those people to take down my tree so soon after Christmas but I had to take it down today. It's a pretty big, full tree and our living room is small (our whole house is small LOL) AND Gabriel just won't leave it alone. It was in a pretty sad state. We had all these toys to deal with and I just needed to declutter the living room by taking it down. I usually don't take it down until Jan 1 or later, there have even been years where it stayed up for months after Christmas LOL.

[heathergw]

normally we wait, but this year it's coming down tonight so that I can get the house ready for my parents to come stay with us/babysit the kids... I feel bad because we're supposed to celebrate Christmas with my family when we get home from the hospital but I need to get the house ready for my recovery and baby... so this year is an exception to our normal.

so I did vote after Epiphany because that's the norm for us, but this year it's Dec 26th

[hmlentz]

Our tree is a crispy critter (we use real) and so it will come down probably tomorrow, but the rest will stay up through epiphany.

[Traci Reed]

I'm ready to take it all down now honestly..we always take it down on New Year's Day...we don't wait till Epiphany because it's Josiah's birthday.

[Sarah8914]

Mine always comes down within a day or two after Christmas. I love my decorations before Christmas, the anticipation, celebrating the season, but once Christmas is over, I'm ready for it to be gone.

This is us--it's usually down the day after Christmas but since it's Sunday, we won't take it down until tomorrow (but I am SO ready!). Not only do I want our space back, but we have some painting/decorating projects next on the list and I can't wait to get started!!!!

[ColleenSwerb]

It will stay up until sometime after New Years, whenever I feel like taking the time to do it. I leave a bunch of stuff out all winter though. I collect snowmen, so they get to stay for a good long while. :)

We don't have kids, so we don't have piles and piles of stuff underneath it to get rid of it. We do have a real tree, and it is deader than dead whenever we finally take it down, but both Jordan and I like to haave it up, so it stays :)

[AmberK]

Usually sometime after New Year's Day. We still have presents under the tree for my mom, dad, bro, SIL, and niece and nephew and we aren't celebrating christmas with them until next weekend. We trade years on which family we spent christmas with and this year was with DH's family.

[eranslow]

We'll take ours down New Year's day or the 2nd of January. I really enjoy having the tree up - love the coziness it provides but having it up after the New Year starts feels odd for me.

[MissKim]

Ours is usually down before Christmas. In the past, we would celebrate at home on the 23rd, then travel the 24th and 25th, getting home the evening of the 25th or 26th. There's nothing more depressing than coming home to an emptry tree, so I'd take it down the morning of the 24th.

This morning, I really just meant to put away my Jim Shore pieces, but when my family saw me putting stuff up, they jumped in to help and everything was down in an hour. I just finished washing the last of the linens and dinnerware, so now everything is ready to be put up. DH needs to do that so hopefully he'll do it before too long. I already told him once it was ready, and I had to nag.

For us, Christmas really is over. We did the in-laws last weekend, my parents on the 23rd, and spent the 24th and 25th celebrating here at home. DH goes back to work tomorrow. The kids and I are home this week, but I'd rather have the tree down and the house clean than look at a sad, empty tree. We put our tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving, so we've had plenty of enjoyment from it.

[nanienamou]

We always take it down on January 2nd and by then, I'm eager to see it go. :)

We don't celebrate Epiphanym though.

[Inkspots]

We don't usually take the tree down until after New Years since it still has birthday presents under it. Since we have to go back to work on the 3rd this year though and we don't want to interfer with football, it'll probably come down this week, before New Years. It's taking up a lot of our dining room, so is actually in the way this year too.

[ariesfl326]

I'll be taking them down sometime around New Year's Day. My daughter's birthday is January 7th so I need the space to prepare all the party stuff.

[Stacey42]

NYE is DH's birthday and we always have an NYE party, so the tree stays up for that & then we usually have guests for a day or so after depending on the day of the week. So it comes down sometime after NYE depending on the circumstances. The kids go back to school on the 3rd so I will probably pack it up then

[mummytothree]

I voted Jan 7, but it's not necessarily because of Epiphany, I just love my decorations and I wait till the longest possible date to take them down...it's usually more like the 12 or 13th of January, usually the 2nd weekend of January! This year though it will probably be the 3rd weekend of January since NY's is the first weekend!!

[pewtertm]

We put our decorations away this evening. Our family has never celebrated the 12 Days of Christmas or Epiphany, but I'll enjoy the decorations around town for as long as they are up!

[Priscilla]

I started today and will finish tomorrow. I'm so over the season this year. .. and every year by the time we open stuff.

[aggiefamily]

The week after Christmas- usually 2 days after. We host a NYE party every year and need that space where the tree is to put a table.

[Amy Carey]

For me Christmas is so rushed and the stress of gift giving and family events, I like the week after christmas as an "at home" celebration and we do a fun evening on New Years where we have fun food, movies, games, etc and I love having the christmas decorations still for that. Plus it was so much WORK putting it all up...I like to enjoy it as long as I can. I DO have winter decorations too....I put lights and silvery/wintery woodsy stuff on the mantle with a silvery wreath and I leave my snowflake lights in my bay window in the kitchen and leave all my snowmen out. Can't stand the starkness of no decorations at all...from going from Fall in sept to Christmas....so I wean myself off, lol

[kscwgirl]

I take it down NYE day. We have family events here on NYE and I need the space.

[Chantal Miller]

Today or maybe tomorrow. I like to start the New Year with lovely clean fresh space. Traditionally we do the tree thing on the 16th since its a public holiday here and ten days is more than enouh...

[Gabbina]

In italy no one even consider to take decorations and the tree down before the 7th in January. Most people keep them up till kids go back to school, usually on the 10th. Same for the lights around the city. This maybe because the 26th is another holiday here and the 6th January is celebrated quite a lot too. Our Nativity will stay up till the first week in February. Here the 24th December is just the beginning of a 2 weeks period of celebrations :)

[DeepGirl]

Oh, I also have to add that in Slovakia we only decorate the tree right before Christmas or on Christmas Eve, so there would be no point in de-decoratin it 3 days after. In my mind, it's Christmas time until 6 January.

Oh, yes! I have decorated tree on 23rd December and we usually keep it until Epiphany, too. This is most traditional way in Slovakia.

[Gemma]

I vary on the dates, this year I'll probably take it down on NYE! :)

[schock77]

Dec 31 or January 1st- I don't put stuff up until Dec.1 (gonna try to do it the day after Thanksgiving next year)... but I want to have time to enjoy it before it's gone, so no rush here.

[julifish]

I don't usually take down our decorations until the second weekend in January. This year we are having friends for NYE so I'll be adding more decorations to the dining room and entry way for New Years (so there will be even more to take down after - bleh!). Everything looks so bare when I take down the Christmas decorations...so I tend to leave them up a little longer to bide my time until my birthday at the end of Jan when I usally get $$ from MIL and buy a few new things for the house.

[FireWolf]

Our tree comes normally comes day the day before the Christmas tree pick-up by the refuse company. This year it is jan. 13th, but I'm thinking of taking it down tonight because it just looks sad. Since we celebrate Yule on the 21st not Christmas then I'm ok with that. Normally we leave it up longer because it goes up so late due to another holiday on Dec. 5th.

[Amber1279]

the kids don't come home till Wednesday (the 29th) so the tree will stay up till after New Year's.

I have a fake one (after multiple years of having the real one die too fast) so there really isn't a hurry.

I am also in the group that would leave it up. Once year before I met Bill I left my fake tree up till March. The only reason I had to take it down then was because it was Ellie's birthday.

[HeatherKS]

I generally take mine down right after the first of the year. This year I have off the Friday before and Monday following New Year's so I think it'll probably be on Monday. :)

[Kat Stokes]

We'll start taking stuff down tonight since DH works Wed-Sat this year. It usually takes me 2 days to get it all packed away. I plan on cleaning the house on Saturday and Sunday so it's nice and fresh for the new year!

[tanya.72]

I'm a party pooper! I took mine down yesterday. :p

[g6scrapped]

We are still having another Christmas next weekend so we are leaving ours up until after that at least.

[jannylynn]

We usually keep it up until around Jan. 7. But we are moving on Jan. 3 so this was a very weird Christmas for us anyway. The tree came down this past Sunday because we have to pack it (and everything else for that matter) up. We also decluttered the tree and might just buy a real one next year!!! I'm so excited!!!

It's still Christmas in our hearts!

[Gemma]

I vary on the dates, this year I'll probably take it down on NYE! :)

So I changed my mind and took the tree down today lol, I'm leaving my other bits and pieces up until NYE like I said though! :)

[tjscraps]

Usually New Years Day, but we are taking it down today - I'm having surgery Jan. 5th and have some stuff to do before then (including steam-cleaning the carpet in the living room where the tree is), so the sooner the better this year. We usually take it down NY day though.

[sugirox]

This is the first time we got a real tree.So am in no hurry to take it down!!

[lauren grier]

I said sometime after new years.. but i don't really know. Last year I left it up for a reeallllllly long time- I remember considering decorating it for valentines day. I don't remember when I actually finally took it down though.

[jorgies5]

I'm a party pooper! I took mine down yesterday. :p

Me too! My husband came home and called me scrooge. Once Christmas is over, I am so ready to get everything back to normal.

[sarahbhb]

I voted for after Epiphany as well because that's the norm for us but this year I'm ready for the tree to come down earlier because our living room is tiny and I had to move DD's school desk to put up the tree. The tree will most likely come down this weekend so that we can get set up for a new school year and DD can have her desk area back.

[Leontine78]

In Holland the tree stays mostly untill after Jan 1st. They pick up the trees (if you have a real one) on Jan 6th.
This year I am still thinking of putting all away already....I am not really in Christmas mood anymore...don't know why.

[livelys]

Ours always stays up until after New Years, and then I gradually take stuff down so its all gone by 12th Night. The one exception are Christmas cards, which drive me mad as they are always collapsing - so I'm letting Alex lose with a pair of scissors & glue today to make a collage :)

[Andrea Gourley]

Snap Sara. Our cards have already gone the distance :p We'll start to take things down slowly and the last thing that goes is the garland that goes across out mantelpiece. We are considering leaving the greenery and fairy lights and removing the CHristmas bits and pieces and just adding in some other stuff.

[Lizzy257]

I took the tree down today. I was sick of looking at it, it was taking over the room (well, that and the hundreds of tiny pieces of toys that littered the floor!). Cards and other bits are still up, but I'll probably have them down before the weekend is over :p

[SweetMelissa]

We usually take the decorations down on New Years Eve or New Years Day.

[Leah]

I took mine down today and packed all the decorations away.

I have extra kids coming in to my home and they'll all be back next week, so I like to have my house in order before that happens.

Usually, I wait until after New Years.