# It's January 17, and I just took down my Christmas lights **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 18, 2015, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136 "2015-01-18T05:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/1 "2015-01-18T05:20:24Z")
Yep, this year we’re _that_ house. I always leave them up through Epiphany, so they would have come down the 10th. But it rained the entire weekend. I didn’t want to store wet decorations or climb around on a wet ladder. Since the lights and decorations were still up, why not turn them on? Today was sunny, so I finally took them down today. By the way, there are at least 2 other houses in the neighborhood that still have their lights up, but they aren’t turning them on anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/2 "2015-01-18T05:35:29Z")
There’s a house in my street with all of its decorations still up, including a Santa holding a _Merry Christmas_ sign. I noticed yesterday that someone had hung another sign over it saying _It’s time go…Santa_. > [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > I always leave them up through Epiphany, so they would have come down the 10th. 6th, surely? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/3 "2015-01-18T05:35:49Z")
Passed 3 houses tonight that not only still have them _up_, but _have them on._ And yeah, mine are still up, but not on. Hey, that beer ain’t gonna drink itself! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/4 "2015-01-18T05:56:35Z")
with all the snow, ice and wind chill then it’s not safe to take them down until April. the decorations get in the way of lawn mowing which is the right time. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/5 "2015-01-18T06:06:23Z")
I didn’t have any outside lights this year, at least not any that were turned on (have some lights on some shrubs/bush that have stayed there 2-3 years). Haven’t even thought of taking down the tree, though. Think last year’s came down in July and the decorations were never put away. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/6 "2015-01-18T06:24:30Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Yep, this year we’re _that_ house. > > I always leave them up through Epiphany, so they would have come down the 10th. But it rained the entire weekend. I didn’t want to store wet decorations or climb around on a wet ladder. > Since the lights and decorations were still up, why not turn them on? > > Today was sunny, so I finally took them down today. > > By the way, there are at least 2 other houses in the neighborhood that still have their lights up, but they aren’t turning them on anymore. You are way way ahead of the people in my neighborhood. One of my neighbors still has a witch. This is the thing where it looks like the witch ran into the tree, oops. I think they should have replaced it with Santa, but they preferred to leave Santa dead in the yard. Lying there like somebody stabbed all the air out of him. I commended you on getting this done before March. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/7 "2015-01-18T06:43:15Z")
I put up lights for the first time this year. There was opportunity for me to take them down before it started snowing and being super cold, but at that time it was raining pretty good and part of my scheme involves putting a ladder in mulch (wait, all of it does!) So I turned them off on Epiphany but I’m not taking them down until I’m good and ready. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/8 "2015-01-18T08:34:52Z")
Mine are still up. Not on, but up. Maybe tomorrow… ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/9 "2015-01-18T08:42:29Z")
I thought you were supposed to wait til Candlemas before taking down decorations. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/10 "2015-01-18T08:52:47Z")
My tree is still up, with all the lights and decorations. But not lit. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/11 "2015-01-18T12:16:59Z")
On the _Roseanne_ TV show Dan was putting up his Christmas decorations and looking at a huge snarl of lights. Somebody told him that if he wound them up neatly when he took them down he wouldn’t have that problem and he says “Like that’s how I want to spend my Easter.” That’s how I feel, if it’s not Easter, you’ve still got time. ---
**Author:** ![txswimdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@txswimdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txswimdad)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/12 "2015-01-18T13:41:35Z")
Back when we lived in the Chicago area a little over ten years ago, there was a house on the corner of two major streets, across from the Bloomingdale shopping mall. Every year, the owners would extensively decorate their house and yard. The odd thing was, they would put up the decorations just a few days before Christmas, but not take them down until March or April and they were lit up every night for the entire duration. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/13 "2015-01-18T15:35:05Z")
I took mine down on the 17th as well. It’s just been too busy around here to get it done sooner. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/14 "2015-01-18T16:18:48Z")
I don’t have a great many outdoor lights, but I leave them on because they light the porch steps well, all the battery driven ones are dead, and I have to take the pup out at night. When I do take them down it’ll be March, likely the Equinox. I’m hoping by then at nearly a year he won’t feel he needs mom to show him where to pee. We’ve one neighbor who never takes her outdoors lights down- she does turn them OFF, eventually. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/15 "2015-01-18T23:23:22Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > 6th, surely? Usually the 6th is the last day I turn them on, but I take them down the nearest weekend, which this year was the 10th. Sorry for my unclear late night post. All you snow climate people get a pass. I’m in southern California, where the only snow in anybody’s yard is made out of cotton. Most people around here take stuff down the weekend after New Years. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/16 "2015-01-18T23:49:41Z")
> [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > I thought you were supposed to wait til Candlemas before taking down decorations. That’s what I saw on QI a few weeks ago. Personally, I think Epiphany is a reasonable timing point, especially if you don’t want to be worrying about decorations before the Super Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/17 "2015-01-19T00:46:42Z")
Keeping them up late is a much more reasonable offense than putting them up early. So long as you didn’t have them up before Thanksgiving, I have no quarrel with you keeping them up until Valentines (or later). ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/18 "2015-01-19T02:48:25Z")
I had a green light, a snowman, and a wreath on my porch. All came down today. The Christmas tree is still up and the inside lights are on. Next weekend that gets put away. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/19 "2015-01-19T03:05:08Z")
My wreaths came down a few days ago. But the stockings and the other few indoor decorations I do are still up. I need to put them away. But I live alone, so no one is around to judge. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136/20 "2015-01-19T05:21:22Z")
A house around the corner had last year’s Christmas wreath up at Halloween. My neighbor still has last year’s tree by the trash bins, this year’s tree at the curb. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-january-17-and-i-just-took-down-my-christmas-lights/710136.md?page=2)