When does Christmas end for you?

[LineSkiCat14]

I've always been one to extend the "Christmas" season well past NYE and into the first few weeks of January. Christmas lights stay up and stay, still will watch Christmas moves through NYE, don't bother taking decorations down until probably late January. Probably will have one more Christmas party the week after to catch up with other friends and family..

I ask this because I'm always blown away by the people who have their trees out for pickup on December 26th. You put all this work into setting it all up, I want to actually enjoy it for a while. Maybe it's the cold up here for me, but I always found it depressing to end Christmas immediately after the 25th. Way more enjoyable to make Christmas more of a season to get through the cold winters up by me.

What say you?

 

[jedwar]

New Year’s Day for me. By then I’m ready to be done.

 

[bbonds]

We put all of our stuff up the week before Thanksgiving. We get to enjoy it. Usually the weekend around NY will take it all down. So next weekend.

 

[BigBlueDave]

Grandmother on my mom's side lived her whole life in Philadelphia. Her tree didn't go up until Christmas Eve and stayed up through the twelve days. She hasn't been with us since 1980 though and times change.

New Years Day for me. Outside lights sooner if bad weather is forecast. I got burned one year and I missed my chance. It was nasty out with snow on my roof until the first week of March.

 

[rick64]

I guess today. My wife has taken most of the Christmas decorations. 😂

 

[justa]

I’m in same boat. Usually it’s been New Years but this year she started taking down decorations yesterday and today only thing left is the tree.

 

[UK82]

Yeah my wife took down everything, even the last can of Who-hash.

 

[warrior-cat]

New Year’s Day for me. By then I’m ready to be done.

Goes up the Saturday after Thanksgiving and goes down the first weekend after New Years Day.

 

[BC_Wader]

Usually the weekend after New Years is when the decorations come down. After Christmas is about the only time I can really wind down and enjoy them.

 

[funKYcat75]

We were 12 clicks outside of Hai Phong. A small fishing village named Tân Thàn. Reports of Charlie hiding in trees, trap doors that would pierce your leg with sharpened bamboo, and commie bastards dressed as women so they could move freely about. I had eyes on one such “lady” as she went from market to market, trading money with the merchants, yet never buying anything. I wasn’t sure what “her” game was, but I knew it was suspect. As she walked back to her hut, she kept turning her head, nervously looking up into the hills. I knew then I had to make my move. I pulled some wide-eyed rookie grunt who just landed two days ago, and we headed towards the hut. I could see light inside and the sound of children playing before bedtime. The newbie and I kicked in the door of the hut, fingers on the trigger. They all screamed. It was a sound I’ll never forget. The men. The women. The children. My God, the children. They were everywhere. I glanced at the wall, and the calendar read ngày 26 tháng 12. I lowered my gun and helped them put their Christmas decorations away. The children laughed as the tall Yank pulled the star off the top with ease while the other soldier helped pack away the other decorations. It was a new day. That’s when Christmas ended for me. I knew these kids would probably not see another Christmas due to this damned war and I said I’d never celebrate it while there was still poverty, hunger, and war in this crazy mixed-up world. We said our goodbyes. Good bye Tân Thàng, farewell children, and so long, Christmas.

Then I just flamethrowered the whole place.

 

[TriangleUKCat]

Put up both trees with lights the weekend before Thanksgiving then incrementally decorate them/decorate rest of house over the next week.

Gradually start taking down decorations/ornaments starting New Year’s Day unless we are traveling but keep trees with lights on them until MLK weekend. Not sure why we got in that pattern but it’s stuck. It’s nice having the soft light I guess.

We used to get two real trees until my wife decided to come home with two rescue kittens one fall and we realized they go turbo apeshit over real trees for some reason. Bastards.

 

[NociHTTP]

I've always been one to extend the "Christmas" season well past NYE and into the first few weeks of January. Christmas lights stay up and stay, still will watch Christmas moves through NYE, don't bother taking decorations down until probably late January. Probably will have one more Christmas party the week after to catch up with other friends and family..

I ask this because I'm always blown away by the people who have their trees out for pickup on December 26th. You put all this work into setting it all up, I want to actually enjoy it for a while. Maybe it's the cold up here for me, but I always found it depressing to end Christmas immediately after the 25th. Way more enjoyable to make Christmas more of a season to get through the cold winters up by me.

What say you?

Beautiful post! I keep telling my husband that it makes no sense to me that A LOT of people traditionally set up their Christmas decorations the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, and then take down the decorations the day after Christmas.

My favorite parts of each year are from September 1st all the way through the first big snowstorm (like we get those anymore) after Christmas. In recent years I have shifted my thinking on Christmas and have finally decided that Christmas should be on January 25th.

That way, I can still enjoy my fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Christmas hoopla and get in my Christmas classics.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Yeah I think New Years eve makes sense. I think it's those that take it down the next day that are odd. I want to relax the few days after Christmas.. all the cooking, wrapping, cleaning, home with the kids for a week or so already.. When December 26th hits, it's pajamas and leftovers for the next few days at least.