So when do you take down your christmas tree?

[hereyago]

After we take the hearts off it for Valentines Day but before we put the Shamrocks on it for St Patty's Day.

That sounds cool. I don't take my tree down until my birthday, January 3rd, ever since I was little, this has been the rule.

 

[Elmo9607]

I put mine up in mid-November. It gets taken down usually the second week of January. It doesn't take up any extra space for me and I love having it up.

 

[LBIJim]

For those who take down your tree on December 26 or even Christmas Day, why even bother putting it up? If you hate "clutter", or want your house "back to normal", why not keep it that way to start with?

Sounds like the Christmas tree is more of a duty or obligation or burden rather than something you actually enjoy having.

Jim

 

[eeyoremum]

For those who take down your tree on December 26 or even Christmas Day, why even bother putting it up? If you hate "clutter", or want your house "back to normal", why not keep it that way to start with?

Sounds like the Christmas tree is more of a duty or obligation or burden rather than something you actually enjoy having.

Jim

I have had my tree up for 5 weeks, hardly a duty or an obligation but certainly long enough. I enjoy my tree but when Christmas is over its over. For my family that is the 25th we have no other family obligation and no other celebrating to do.

I like taking my tree down by myself so sometime that is the 25th if I am still up after the family goes to bed, sometimes it is the 26th before they wake up. My kids who are 11 and 16 know that when they wake up the 26th the Christmas decorations will be put away.

 

[GJM]

I take mine down on the 26th. because we are going out of town for a week. It has been up for 3 weeks - plus it is a live tree. How long should it be up for?

Normally my tree wouldn't even go up until after 16th. which is my DS birthday and it would come down New Years Day.

I think 3 weeks is plenty, plus by the 26th. Christmas is over -

It isn't a duty, obligation or burden and we have been enjoying it for over 3 weeks.

 

[graygables]

Ours goes up the day after Thanksgiving and comes down absolutely no sooner than 1/6 (Epiphany, the 12th Day of Christmas, 3 Kings Day, etc). Most years, I'll leave it up through February. Christmas is a season to us, not just a day, so we enjoy the lights and decorations through the dark winter nights. I'd leave it up longer if I could get away with it.

 

[jenrose66]

Mine usually comes down the 26th or 27th. For the last two years we put it up on Thanksgiving so it's been up long enough. Plus my birthday is the 1st week of January and for some reason the christmas tree up depresses me on my birthday so I always make sure it's down. Now DS also has his birthday the first week of January and I want to make sure it's down before his birthday too.

 

[moon]

For those who take down your tree on December 26 or even Christmas Day, why even bother putting it up? If you hate "clutter", or want your house "back to normal", why not keep it that way to start with?

Sounds like the Christmas tree is more of a duty or obligation or burden rather than something you actually enjoy having.

Jim

I was wondering the same thing. The reason I do it it's because I think the house looks so pretty decorated and it brings me joy! It makes me sad to take it down.

If it was a chore, or gave me a "feeling of clutter", I just wouldn't bother

 

[BroganMc]

I was wondering the same thing. The reason I do it it's because I think the house looks so pretty decorated and it brings me joy! It makes me sad to take it down.

If it was a chore, or gave me a "feeling of clutter", I just wouldn't bother

Well I have family coming on the 25th, leave for Disney on the 28th, am not back until the 4th and have family coming back on the 8th. So my tree remains up the entire time.

Actually I love my Christmas tree and it's collection of family ornaments. We didn't finish putting it up until a week ago. We're set to finish cleaning the house and getting the dining room ready for family on Saturday. The tree is artificial so it can stay up for months without harm. I have the lights connected to the switch on the wall so can flick it on and off as I see fit. It's also in the Living Room which never gets used except at Christmastime.

So I leave it up through the Superbowl.

We also erect a massive train garden every year in the patio room. That does take up space and I have to zealously protect it from the cats. The room is bonechilling cold unless we turn on the gas fireplace so we can just shut it off and not use it.

My garden has been up since Thanksgiving weekend. It's not coming down until Feb/Mar. In fact I have a little Irish beer seller hawking green beer for St. Patrick's Day outside the pub. I got that so I can say my garden can stay up through St. Patrick's Day.

Unfortunately all the blizzards last year made me take the garden down early. Our roof spung a leak right over the town square. Melting ice/snow wreaks havoc.

My exterior lights stay up all year round. (Snowman figure does come inside after winter.) They are plain white icicle lights on the back deck and multicolor lights inside the patio room. I have them on a remote control so I can flick them on as needed and make them party lights.

best part about leaving up the Christmas decorations through winter is enjoying them when the snow falls. I got some gorgeous photos of our train garden with snow just outside.

Mickey didn't look too bad in February either:

Now keep in mind I don't start decorating until Thanksgiving so having my stuff up for a couple months into the new year is nothing. January and February would be pretty dull and sad without these twinkling lights.

 

[moon]

Well I have family coming on the 25th, leave for Disney on the 28th, am not back until the 4th and have family coming back on the 8th. So my tree remains up the entire time.

Actually I love my Christmas tree and it's collection of family ornaments. We didn't finish putting it up until a week ago. We're set to finish cleaning the house and getting the dining room ready for family on Saturday. The tree is artificial so it can stay up for months without harm. I have the lights connected to the switch on the wall so can flick it on and off as I see fit. It's also in the Living Room which never gets used except at Christmastime.

So I leave it up through the Superbowl.

We also erect a massive train garden every year in the patio room. That does take up space and I have to zealously protect it from the cats. The room is bonechilling cold unless we turn on the gas fireplace so we can just shut it off and not use it.

My garden has been up since Thanksgiving weekend. It's not coming down until Feb/Mar. In fact I have a little Irish beer seller hawking green beer for St. Patrick's Day outside the pub. I got that so I can say my garden can stay up through St. Patrick's Day.

Unfortunately all the blizzards last year made me take the garden down early. Our roof spung a leak right over the town square. Melting ice/snow wreaks havoc.

My exterior lights stay up all year round. (Snowman figure does come inside after winter.) They are plain white icicle lights on the back deck and multicolor lights inside the patio room. I have them on a remote control so I can flick them on as needed and make them party lights.

best part about leaving up the Christmas decorations through winter is enjoying them when the snow falls. I got some gorgeous photos of our train garden with snow just outside.

Mickey didn't look too bad in February either:

Now keep in mind I don't start decorating until Thanksgiving so having my stuff up for a couple months into the new year is nothing. January and February would be pretty dull and sad without these twinkling lights.

Looks so pretty! I agree that winter looks sad without the lights. They make the long, cold nights more bearable.

 

[lillygator]

no 12 days???????????????? yikes.

 

[hambirg]

We always leave it up at least through the Epiphany. . .it would feel weird not to.

 

[tegdig]

I put my stuff up the weekend before Thanksgiving. My Christmas decorations are some of most precious things. I love them, have a lot of them, many of them souvenirs from travels, milestones, etc. As I sit here this morning among all of it, I say "oh it is so gorgeous, I really don't want to take it down"....then, after everyone leaves for some reason I will get up on the 26th and feel like I can not wait to get the stuff out of my house. I have that "I am so in love with it all feeling" today, but I just know that it will happen again in a few days and then I will dismantle it all????????

 

[crz4mm2]

Traditionally the day after Christmas, but some years Christmas day. I put mine up the day after Thanksgiving and am tired of it by now. IF I had a big family room with plenty of room, I would probably leave it up longer.

 

[Sorsha]

For those who take down your tree on December 26 or even Christmas Day, why even bother putting it up? If you hate "clutter", or want your house "back to normal", why not keep it that way to start with?

Sounds like the Christmas tree is more of a duty or obligation or burden rather than something you actually enjoy having.

Jim

Not at all. I put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving, and it is a live tree, so I have had a whole month to enjoy it, AND it is DEAD by now.

We are not religious, so the whole 12 days/Epiphany bit means NOTHING to us other than a lovely little story that we hold no credence with. It certainly holds no weight over how long I leave my decorations up.

And yes, by the time I have had any decor up for for than a month in my house, I am tired of it and ready to have my house back to normal. Same goes for Halloween - my personal favorite holiday - or any other holiday I decorate for. Doesn't mean I feel it is my "duty" or my "obligation" (goodness, how dramatic - pictures lady on fainting couch, fanning herself, "I bear it because I must, its my duty"), just means I have a small house and I am ready to have my living room back to normal.

 

[PinkTink63]

Typically the day after New Years Day, but it really depends on what is going on. I work retail and am so busy during the holidays that I feel like I don't get to enjoy it. This year I didn't get it up until the week before Christmas, so it is staying up a while! I am really enjoying it now that Christmas is over and things have calmed down!

One year we went to Disneyland on Dec. 28, so I had to take it down on the 26th.

 

[hambirg]

Not at all. I put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving, and it is a live tree, so I have had a whole month to enjoy it, AND it is DEAD by now.

We are not religious, so the whole 12 days/Epiphany bit means NOTHING to us other than a lovely little story that we hold no credence with. It certainly holds no weight over how long I leave my decorations up.

And yes, by the time I have had any decor up for for than a month in my house, I am tired of it and ready to have my house back to normal. Same goes for Halloween - my personal favorite holiday - or any other holiday I decorate for. Doesn't mean I feel it is my "duty" or my "obligation" (goodness, how dramatic - pictures lady on fainting couch, fanning herself, "I bear it because I must, its my duty"), just means I have a small house and I am ready to have my living room back to normal.

Not trying to be snarky. . .but I think it is part of the OP's question. . .than why put up a Christmas tree at all? Idk. . to me putting up a tree is all about religious symbolism. But maybe others don't see it that way. I'm just curious if it's NOT religious to you, than why do you do it at all? It's not always fun. . .you should have seen the tangled mess I had to deal with this year just to get ours up. . .

 

[daisyduck123]

Due to DD16's hospitalization, we haven't had Christmas yet (or even Thanksgiving), so we did not get a tree. All of the presents are home, wrapped, and waiting in our family room until we are all home.

 

[Sorsha]

Not trying to be snarky. . .but I think it is part of the OP's question. . .than why put up a Christmas tree at all? Idk. . to me putting up a tree is all about religious symbolism. But maybe others don't see it that way. I'm just curious if it's NOT religious to you, than why do you do it at all? It's not always fun. . .you should have seen the tangled mess I had to deal with this year just to get ours up. . .

There may be a religious story behind most of the Christmas traditions/decorations but we choose not to celebrate that part of it. I am sure that somewhere back in the history of Christmas trees, they do have religious meaning, but to us they are just Christmas Trees! Large, pretty decorated evergreen trees - pretty ornaments, lots of lights (and yes, big tangled mess - my DH has to deal with THAT part, and uses some very un-Christmas-y words), a place for the Santa-legend to put the presents. We do have a lot of Christmas traditions, a lot of Christmas legends, a lot of stories, and decorations, they are just in the secular world not the religious world. And they require no time commitment from me I can put them up or take them down whenever is convenient for me without offending the tree.

 

[onelilspark]

I usually have mine up until Epiphany. I'm religious, but I chose January 6th more so that I actually take the tree down in a timely manner Otherwise, I'd keep it up all year if I could!

This year it'll come down January 2nd because of travel for work.