# Too early to take down decorations! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450 "2013-12-30T01:48:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/21 "2013-12-30T05:08:12Z")
I finally settled on displaying them from Advent to Epiphany. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/22 "2013-12-30T06:09:26Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > My wife took everything down this morning while I was still asleep, and doesn’t understand why I am nonplussed and deflated. Anyone else with me on this? I just wanted to wait until the first week of January–even Jan. 2 would be fine. In our family, the decorations came down Dec. 26. By then, we were pretty tired of them, as they went up the day after Thanksgiving (before Black Friday was a thing). ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/23 "2013-12-30T12:13:39Z")
Oh, wow, I didn’t know there were rules to taking down decorations! I took mine down yesterday and a neighbor stopped by and seemed surprised. Now I know why! I took mine down because I was off work and had the time to do it. I won’t have the time during the next week or so. Plus, I really wanted my living room space back. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/24 "2013-12-30T14:09:01Z")
12 days of Christmas? The 19th century called, and they want their calendar back. Pretty sure it’s the 12 weeks of Christmas now. (We keep ours up until the 6th as well (really the weekend following)). ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/25 "2013-12-30T15:00:19Z")
I like the colored lights-it keeps me cheerful in the winter dark. I like to keep the tree up till Candlemass 9Feb. 2nd), or sometimes St. Patrick’s day! ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/26 "2013-12-30T15:02:59Z")
Our family is atheistic, and I had to Google Advent and Epiphany just now. For me it’s just that in my secular sense of the holiday, that nice, precise week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve just feels like the heart of “Christmastime”. Seems weird to then un-decorate on New Year’s Day itself; so Jan. 2 or after strikes me as fine. I never before knew Jan. 6 was a thing (I would have guessed the “12 days of Christmas” started on the solstice and ended Jan. 1). ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/27 "2013-12-30T18:58:18Z")
I worked with a guy who really never showed much emotion either way about anything- he struggled with mental illness for a long time and just really didn’t much seem to care about anything. We were taking down xmas decorations one year and he FLIPPED. He demanded to know where the light up/color changing foot tall penguins were that were by his work area. We got them back out and he lit them up and informed us that they were “WINTER” decorations and he would put them away when he was ready. (We didn’t bother pointing out that they have on scarves and hats with holly on them.) He just loved those penguins- they brought him a lot of joy/comfort. Fast forward a few years later and he has passed away, sadly. The penguins live at my house now, get taken to special events and decorate my place all damned winter. They never go away until after spring arrives 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/28 "2013-12-30T19:18:00Z")
Traditionally Christmas/Yule decorations could stay up until Candlemas- February 2, marking the end of Epiphany. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/29 "2013-12-30T19:44:46Z")
When I was a youngster, one year my mother left the Christmas tree up until Easter. This was pre-plastic trees. And it still had pine needles! She said she liked looking at it. Needless to say, there were comments from the neighbors. But we were used to those. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/30 "2013-12-30T19:55:37Z")
> [@Weeping\_Wyvern](#): > > Christmas lasts for exactly twelve days - from sundown on December 24th to sundown on January 5th - and decorations should be displayed accordingly. This. 12th Night is the earliest that decorations should come down. I can even be ok with the de-decoration-ing being done in Epiphany. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/31 "2013-12-30T20:02:14Z")
I don’t think this is an area where “should” comes into play. People “should” do whatever they want. Personally, when we do decorations at our house, everything is gone no later than New Years day. And some years, like this one, we didn’t put any up. No lights, no tree, no nothing. Total bliss. On the other hand, if someone wants to keep their tree up until Groundhog Day, it doesn’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![jrsone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jrsone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrsone)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/32 "2013-12-30T20:06:47Z")
The only reason the decorations are up is becasue I don’t feel like taking them down out of laziness. If it wasn’t for my wife, I wouldn’t have put them up. It’s been a pretty tough year for me and Christmas wasn’t any easier. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/33 "2013-12-30T20:16:13Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > I’m going to go against the grain of the thread and say I’m starting to get sick of our decorations. . Me, too. It wouldn’t be so bad if people had put them up a week or so before Christmas, but most people throw 'em up right after Thanksgiving. They’ve been up a month-- that’s plenty. No, excuse me while I go sneer at a Who. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/34 "2013-12-30T20:25:34Z")
Tree goes up Christmas Eve. Tree comes down on Superbowl. I know people who have their tree up December 1, so I don’t find my tree duration completely out of the ordinary. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/35 "2013-12-30T20:38:25Z")
[Bug Martini](http://www.bugmartini.com/comic/merry-ex-mas/) reflects my opinion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/36 "2013-12-30T21:06:50Z")
I work for a company that’s rather famous for telling people how to decorate (and eat) and our lobby was rather impressive this year. I was surprised when everything came down the day after Christmas. I mean, Jesus’s body wasn’t even cold yet, or something…I mix my holidays up sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/37 "2013-12-30T22:15:56Z")
Every time someone says something about Christmas being over, I pedantically point out that “today is the _n_th day of Christmas.” As I type this post on 12/30, Christmas is only half over (day 6). Yes, we’re the only house on the block that still has our lights up and shining on Jan. 5 but I don’t care, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/38 "2013-12-30T22:34:27Z")
My mom took down theirs on the 27th. Part of it was because she was was tired of looking at them (they’d been up for a little over three weeks) and part of it was because she wanted to have them gone before she had to go back to work and she had some free time that day while my dad was in the office. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/39 "2013-12-30T22:43:30Z")
My decorating this year kind of stalled out; I got the stuff out of storage, opened the boxes…and that was about it. So, it was very easy to put everything away…on Christmas afternoon! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450/40 "2013-12-30T23:04:03Z")
I’ll take the tree down soon after New Year’s, but the snowflake lights in the window are staying up till the equinox. I need something to keep back the dark. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-early-to-take-down-decorations/677450.md?page=3)