Tuesday, December 30, 2008

How Long is Too Long?

Question for all of you peeps out there in the Blogosphere...

How long do you leave your Christmas Decorations up?

I used to spend New Year's Day taking down the decorations cuz I usually had the day off. Then last year - my divorce was final and basically, I felt like the life had just been sucked right outta me.

I managed to get the front room de-christmased by the 1st. However, I never really went down to the family room. I just started feeling exhausted all of the time. As a result, the kids Christmas tree downstairs remained up, as did our stockings.

Soon it was Valentine's. The kids wondered if/when I would take Christmas out of the family room. I was like, "Yeah. Soon."

Fast forward to Memorial Day. Then Fourth of July. "Wow," I wondered. "Have I really left my tree up that long?"

I meant to take it down. But again, I rarely venture downstairs, and "outta sight, outta mind".

Finally it was Halloween.

"Mom, are you EVER gonna take down that tree down there?" asked PrettyPrettyPrincess.

"I might as well just leave it up at this point," I tell her.

"Mom," she declares, "I think it's been up too long!"

"What makes you say that?" I ask a bit sarcastically.

"Hmmm," she explains, "perhaps the fact that there are now spider webs in the tree are a bit of a clue!"

"Oops," I reply. "Well - Merry Freakin Christmas, I suppose."

She didn't find the humor in that as much as I did.

So - here I am again. Same time as before. Do I tackle everything now? Is it too early to take it down before New Year's Day? How do I stay motivated to do it all?

Whaddya think? When do you take down your decorations - and what exactly is too long?

25 comments:

ann said...

Ok I have big thoughts about this subject! Me: I take things down the day after Christmas Yes a little to soon, but I'm ready for it to be gone!
I have seen some leave there's up until New Years that is fine as well! Or even a couple of weeks after.
I think maybe Halloween is a bit much...but then again I say if I was in your situation I might not have put it up at all! SO good for you! I feel people should be fined for leaving there Christmad lights on out side of their house!! We do not need to see those Christmss lights in Febuary!

Unknown said...

Well since I NEVER do decorations I can't be of much help on this issue! lol

Dianne said...

Oh, I think you already know my answer to that! I don't have a problem with people leaving their lights on the house, just don't plug them in. I thought about taking my tree down on Christmas Eve, sad, I know. Tell the kids if they don't like the stuff still up, take it down themselves. If they are old enough to complain, they are old enough to take care of the situation. They probably won't do the work, but they won't keep harping on you! This also works if they say they are bored. Put them right to work cleaning house. My kids learned fast.

Our Two Blessings From Above said...

I usually take ours down New Years Day. But, mine are already down and put away. I just could not wait to get them put away this year. I guess, I am thinking the faster I get them boxed up and away the sooner spring will arrive.

deb@virginia blue said...

lol...i had a REALLY bad year one year, and the same thing happened in our house. BUT everyone in our house was old enough to have participated in the taking down, too...but didn't...so it kind of became a family joke and test of wills to see who would cave first.

of course, it was ME....and i think it ended up being sometime after Easter.

personally, i think the lit tree should just stay up all year and we should just adjust our decorations on the tree with each new holiday...how fun would that be? i swear, one year i'm going to do that just to say i did it

Stephanie said...

Debilyn I say the same thing!! Just adjust the decorations!! I've always wanted to do that!! hahahaha

But seriously, take em down before new years if you want. I'd take mine down the day after if I ever had it off! haha! But it's just all in what you want/like. But I think it should definetly come down sometime in January.

greenolive said...

Well I like to celebrate the whole Christmas season and I leave mine up through the Twelfth Night and Epiphany. Then after the sixth it comes down.

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

I usually wait until New Years Day...but this year they drove me crazy!! I packed it ALL up yesterday!

Unknown said...

You are too funny...but @ least you didn't have to put out everything this year since half of it was still up;) In the big picture, leaving stuff up or taking it down is completely up to your desire and motivation. Do what feels good sister! As long as you aren't hurting anyone in the process, that is:) Do Christmas trees have feelings?

Megan said...

I'll probably take it all down some time next week. My tree is getting a bit crispy. :0P

Halloween is probably a bit long to leave it up, but then, what's the point in taking it down the when you'll just have to put it back up in another two months? lol

Charlotte said...

I usually try to take mine down before the new year. Debilyn: My mom doesn't leave up her big tree, but she does have a dozen or so smaller trees around her house that she leaves up and changes decorations on.

Rhonda said...

If my tree was still up in OCtober yo'd better believe it'd stay till after Christmas! I think Christmas day or the day after is a bit soon for me...but once it's a couple days later go to town if you want!

We're taking ours down today since we have plans for new years and that whole weekend.

Kaye Butler said...

I think sometime in January is good enough.

I don't know what is wrong with me this year...Christmas cards were late, I broke tradition and did not put the tree up on my birthday, waited until Christmas eve to wrap presents, still haven't mailed my sister her stuff, etc. BIG DEAL...did not put any outside stuff up. That's my thing and I just didn't do it. Maybe its because I'm so busy with basketball and funerals. I dunno.

I plan to get my stuff down this weekend.

Kaye Butler said...

I think sometime in January is good enough.

I don't know what is wrong with me this year...Christmas cards were late, I broke tradition and did not put the tree up on my birthday, waited until Christmas eve to wrap presents, still haven't mailed my sister her stuff, etc. BIG DEAL...did not put any outside stuff up. That's my thing and I just didn't do it. Maybe its because I'm so busy with basketball and funerals. I dunno.

I plan to get my stuff down this weekend.

TravAndToni said...

I whip my decorations down fast. That day after Christmas, when you walk down the stairs and see the tree denuded of gifts... it makes me sad! So, down it comes. Of course, my house is so full of junk all the time (my house is a library!), it's nice to feel like I have more room when the tree's down. It also helps that we don't do outside lights - because we aren't good at them, you should have seen the first year we tried. Sad!

As far as leaving your downstairs tree up all year - I say go for it! Tell PrettyPrettyPrincess to just run a duster over it to grab the webs... oh, wait! Even better: Tell her the story of the Chrismas spider and remind her those webs are how the spider helped create a Chrismas miracle, by decorating the tree with 'tinsel'. More webs = more Chrismas miracle.

Ruthykins said...

i agree with greenolive. the twelfth day of christmas is the longest they should be left up. you should find that shel silverstein poem about the christmas tree that was up too long. i'll see if i can find it for you. personally, i took my stuff down on the 26th.

Ruthykins said...

Found it!


Merry

No one's hangin' stockin's up,
No one's bakin' pie,
No one's lookin' up to see
A new star in the sky.
No one's talkin' brotherhood,
No one's givin' gifts,
And no one loves a Christmas tree
On March the twenty-fifth.
---Shel Silverstein

The Willeyes said...

I agree with Ann...it drives me crazy to see Christmas lights up and on in February! There is a house on the way to parents that has ONE strand in a tree by the road. It is on all year. One of these days I'm going to bring my hedgeclippers...whew...that felt better. I think your decorations in your house is a personal decision. Mine are usually down around the first week in January, the lights outside shortly after...and NOONE can judge you for last year. I do have a friend that has 3 little alpine trees by her front door and they change with the holidays...I have always wanted to do that:)

okeydokeyifine said...

Decorations come down at the user's discretion. That might be the 26th, or 27th of December. That might be the 6th of January. It could be when the snow has all abandoned us. Whenever that might be to you...But What The Heck!?!? October.....way too long....hahahaha

Susie said...

I take them down after New Year's. Every year:-)

My ex-roommate always left her stuff waaaaaay to long. I have pictures of my daughter in front of the Christmas tree with her Easter basket:-) Hee, hee, hee.

Paige said...

A year might be a little long. I like it down by New YEars Eve.

But this year, we did not even put one up. And still have not had our own present opening--tomorrow nite, God willing.

This stuff is hard

Vickie said...

I know some people who take it down the day after Christmas because the tree is real.

When I was a kid we took everything down on New Years Day. I hated that. That day was so depressing to me when I was a child.

Now, That I have my own family, we usually get things down by two weeks after Christmas. I usually tell people that I am celebrating the time the three wise men finally got to the baby Jesus, but I think it is really laziness.

Tamie said...

past the middle of January is waaaayyyy too long. (i am one of those that HATE to see Chritmas lights up BEFORE Thanksgiving and anytime after the middle of Jan)
i've already been thinking about getting my deco down---it's just taking up space and a lot of dust at the moment and i'm thinking that i'm wanting things neat and tidy soon.

Anonymous said...

I take down the crap right after Christmas. I'm OCD and can't stand my house out of order from the norm! Got most of it down the day after Christmas. Just leaving the tree up till our friends and their son come over this weekend so he can get his present under the tree!

purplehaze said...

I usually take mine done New Years day or the day after. I am so ready for it to all be taken down and put away. Yeah October is a bet much!!