Last year when I put the tree out by the bins after Epiphany, I came back ten mins later and it was gone! :eek: What’s up with that?
I usually keep mine up till St. Patrick’s Day, but my wife made me take it down. I like having the colored lights and ornaments to look at-it lightens the mid-winter gloom. Frankly. the January-February stretch here is dark, cold, and gloomy-and the lights help!
Maybe someone nearby had one of those chipper devices and wanted some free mulch? Or firewood?
I know people who leave the small artificial tree up and who decorate it appropriately for the holiday season current. She goes from Christmas to Valentine’s to Easter to Fourth of July, etc. Sort of nice, actually, but if it were bigger it might be a little overwhelming.
Wow. I kept one up until March a couple of years ago, but damn.
Our city urges everyone to drop their tree over by the motor pool/maintenance garage to be chipped up. There’s always a pile of trees even into February, but I noticed none in March. I was too embarrassed to be dropping off a lone Christmas tree after St. Patrick’s Day.
It stayed on the deck for another month or more while I thought about what to do. Actually, I ignored it, thinking I’d chip it up when it got warmer. I finally got an ultimatum from SWMBO, so I had to do something.
Luckily, we live near a game ranch/petting zoo with jillion deer, and they use the trees to make great big walls and dens for the deer to bed down in, so I went by near closing time and dropped mine at the gate and ran!
All right, guys, it’s February. No more excuses, no more bullshit. Take your tree down now, or I’ll take it down for you. Wait, no I won’t. Just… take it down already, okay?
We finally had to take it down because it had dried out too much, but I would otherwise have been content to leave it up for as long as staring at the pretty lights from close up worked to soothe the baby. 
My tree has been up since November 1st, 2002. It’s not sloth anymore, it’s tradition!
OK, OK! It’s down. 
Today was Candlemas, and I guess my father has given up on his friends coming over anytime soon, so it’s all put away. Whew.