# Christmas Decorations - How long do you leave them up after Christmas? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 26, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457 "2010-12-26T22:12:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/1 "2010-12-26T22:12:24Z")
How long after Christmas do you keep your decorations up? ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/2 "2010-12-26T22:20:03Z")
Growing up, we took them down between 1 and 2 weeks after the 25th. The excuse was that we were of Russian descent, and that we kept them up for Russian (Orthodox) Christmas. The real reason was that we were too lazy. But my dad’s birthday is a week after New Year’s Day, so I think that’s why he insisted they were down by then. Now, it’s more like a month. Both because we’re lazy, and because our tree’s pretty. In contrast, my sister-in-law had her decorations down by 4:30pm Christmas Day. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/3 "2010-12-26T22:58:44Z")
We keep ours up for a month or so. One year we didn’t get the outside decorations taken down. The cold, blustery winter made it difficult to get back outside so come spring, the animated Santa was still out front in the flower bed. I decked him out with tube socks for ears and an Easter basket in his waving hand and voila!.. Easter Santa was born. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/4 "2010-12-27T00:32:46Z")
Putting the decorations away is how I typically spend New Year’s Day. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/5 "2010-12-27T01:49:08Z")
I usually start putting away decorations during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Rarely am I done before the first week in January. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/6 "2010-12-27T04:17:43Z")
Our tree comes down on New Year’s Day. That’s about the only decorating we do, so it doesn’ t take that long to do. ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/7 "2010-12-27T04:26:34Z")
The only decorating we do is putting up the tree, which usually comes down sometime after my birthday (Jan 11) depending on what weekend I work. One year, we took all the decorations off the tree, but we were both too lazy to take apart the tree and put it back into the basement. After a while, we didn’t even notice the tree anymore so it sat until June. By then, we were in the process of moving, so I sold the tree in a garage sale. I never had to take it down! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/8 "2010-12-27T05:41:10Z")
My principle for christmas decorations is - they happen in December. So … up on the 1st, down on the 31st. Or thereabouts - procrastination permitting. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/9 "2010-12-27T14:35:48Z")
I was about to start taking things down, husband reminded me that depending on how the week goes, we might be the New Years Eve location for our friends, so keep the decorations up! I’ll take them down as I’m cleaning up Jan 1 or 2. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/10 "2010-12-27T14:36:18Z")
Usually they go up the weekend around Thanksgiving and come down around New Year’s. If it is one of those years where New Years fall in the middle of the week, they’ll probably come down the following weekend. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/11 "2010-12-27T16:35:03Z")
I usually take about a week, but this year they had to be down by Wednesday the 29th. Obviously. So I took them all down last night. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/12 "2010-12-27T19:13:09Z")
[ul] [li]The “Winter” decorations went up in mid-November.[/li][li]The “Christmas” decorations went up after Thanksgiving.[/li][li]The “Christmas” decorations come down New Years.[/li][li]The “Winter” decorations come down the end of January to make way for the Valentines Day decorations.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/13 "2010-12-27T22:53:03Z")
BTW - the 12 days are the days AFTER Christmas day itself, leading to the Epiphany. Decorations _ **if any** _ up the week after Thanksgiving, down the week after Epiphany. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/14 "2010-12-28T00:07:10Z")
I take them down at anytime after the year ends. This can be about New Years to months later because I don’t feel like putting in the effort or it’s to cold outside. I normally get most of it down before Easter. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/15 "2010-12-28T03:10:35Z")
January 6. Also the date the last of the boxes and paper are flattened and put in the recycling bin, and the presents are all put away where they should go. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/16 "2010-12-28T03:29:29Z")
12th night (January 6) is my usual rule but I’ve had occasion to leave them up longer. One horrible year I was living in a basement packed with stored goods and never saw the sun. That year, the tree didn’t come down until February. It was the only cheerful thing in the place to look at. Last year, I was out of town until Jan. 8 but the tree came down that same night. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-decorations-how-long-do-you-leave-them-up-after-christmas/565457/17 "2010-12-28T03:34:20Z")
New Year’s Day