I will often take down the tree about a day after New Years, I rarely leave it up through Epiphany. This year I might, it's still up and I have piles of 4th quarter tax reports stacked all around my desk demanding my attention. I have to drive to Seattle tomorrow so can't get to the tree then.

Taking it apart and packing everything is time consuming. I have collected something in the neighborhood of 200 pear ornaments over the last many years - they are all on the tree with a scattering of partridges. And they all need to be tucked safely away for next year, no snatch, grab, drop into a box ;)

You're a nicer Mom than I would be. My sentimental, home made, and Hallmark ornaments would be all over that tree - or there would be two trees, mine and hers,

and mine would be more interesting - just ask the baby!

I'm an Epiphany gal, too, but I may take our tree down tomorrow. It's on the dining table, set in front of the smaller south window. It's about 4' high and 4' wide and one of the prettier natural trees we've had.

DH puts the lights on, sets it up in the stand, and I do the rest. I didn't pull out all the old ornaments this year, but I do have my cross-stitched (22 count) elves, a couple old ornaments from his mom, my mom's teapot, and more colorful balls than the tree can hold. The ball are all plastic since we're afraid the dogs might grab one thinking it was a toy ball.

We used to wait until January 8th to remove the tree. This year my small tree and all decorations was removed January 2nd. We replaced all the Christmas table top decorations with winter themed decorations that were enhanced by fresh pine branches from the yard.

It is never at the same time, but I am usually ready for it to be out as soon after Christmas as I can. I have not had a tree up in a few years, since we have not had Christmas here.

Sue

The day after Christmas. I was slow this year, and waited till the second day after Xmas. My nativities are still out but will be put away by Epiphany.

My mom usually took it down New Years Day or so. Live trees dry out and she would be tired of the needles and such. I took ours down earlier than that this year. It's big and it takes up space in our small house. I felt like the grinch, but I was glad to see it go so my living room could go back to its usual, more functional state.

I was wondering why in the last thread there were several who said they waited until January 6, I've never heard of it before.

Mine comes down right after New Years. I should be taking it down right now but I may just relax with the kids today and do it tomorrow when they are at school.

My fiber optic tree is still sitting on the table next to my chair...I'll put it in the basement soon...The last real tree we bought was about 1995, a lot of money for a tree that didn't last, aroma wise, plus needles falling off fast...although I wasn't one for using artificial trees, I got our first..a tall one from Wards after Christmas..since then I've given it away and gotten a small one to put up so the peke doesn't get too interested and it's easy for me to put away....

I usually take mine down New Year's Eve, but we had grandkids over, so I am taking it down today. I had a real tree in 1972, have had an artificial ever since. I have thought about getting a real one, but this one is paid for! So I go, $$$ for a real tree plus a stand or the one in the garage...... The one in the garage wins. I can leave it up as long as I want and run the lights as much as I want. We'll see which one wins next year.

My tree is one with all the memory ornaments. Ones we bought on vacation, ones the kids made, gifts, etc. While I think the others are pretty, I would have to have room for two trees, because I'm not giving up my ornaments. I also have a ceramic tree that lights up, that I put in the bedroom where the grandkids sleep. It makes a great night light.

For decades we always had a Frazier fir cut down by us. It was put up the beginning of the month and taken down New year's day or the next day. For the past seven or so years, we have not had a live tree because we aren't here for Xmas. But I decorate everywhere inside with fresh boughs and small German trees. I took it all down four days ago. When Xmas is over, i'm ready.

We took down the outside lights, the stockings and inside house decorations including the small fiber optic tree yesterday. We usually do it then. The place looks so bare. I miss it all especially the outside lights. They were great when taking the dog out at 10PM (timer set for 11PM).

The day after Christmas. We've had it up since the day after Thanksgiving, that's long enough. Once the gifts are gone, it looks so "lonely".

Me too. I have candles in all my windows year round though. I do leave the live pine roping and balsam wreaths on all the doors all winter till the first day of March and they always stay nice.

I'm ready now, but have always waited until after Jan. 6th. so this year will probably be no different. I'll miss the ambiance of the lighted tree and garlands though. The forecast is finally calling for snow tomorrow, so today would have been a good day to remove the outside wreaths and swags; but they have looked so bare this entire holiday season without some snow.

Usually the first week of January for me. I put it up, seriously thinking about its' removal, as every year it gets harder. I have mostly felt embroideried ornaments (done by me), winter themed skaters, Pinocchio and the workshop, santa and ornaments that I really keep in an end table along with more needlework. So easy to get to. We have more recently purchased ornaments that we use in the motorhome to add more sparkle and our tree is self lighted. Easy, easy. The "old, treasured, keep-sake guys" haven't been unpacked in years. I have two large ceramic lighted trees, also not really packed, just stored in a cupboard that we put out and lots of other little stuff. Every year I downsize more. I do love the family room in the soft glow of Christmas so it is worth the effort and we always miss it when it gets taken away.

It came down today

I was thinking the PUSH to take down the Christmas decor/tree might all be about bringing in the NEW YEAR. It is too bad we celebrate this great feast at the end of the year. In my religious tradition the Christmas season goes from Dec. 24-midnight until Jan 10th--The Baptism of the Lord. I don't follow that for set up--so it makes some sense I would not follow it for take down. The truth is LIFE dictates when things go up and down. I had the days off NOW so down everything came. I know people who leave their tree up through February.

My neighbor still had her outside wreaths and bows up until May last year - no kidding.

I love the neighbors that keep the outside lights up all year, just don't turn them on. I guess it saves a lot of time with putting them up and taking them down. LOL

School, we also have a neighbor that keeps the decorations up through March. The lights are fine, but it was odd when they had a big light up Santa on their porch all those months after Christmas.

Ours usually comes down anytime now. This year it will wait until I have lots of help, as I am not allowed to lift anything over 10# for now. I am surprised that DH still has the outside nativity and lights on the house up.

I don't think there's any correct or incorrect time to put up or take down a tree. I didn't have one this year but I put it up when I get in the mood to see it. And take it down when I get tired of it. Now that I have the small fake tree I don't have to be as concerned about fire hazard and I can look at the lights and tree when I want to. I find it relaxing. Most people seem to like to see it. So coupled with procrastination I've been known to have it up into late January to February. By then it just doesn't seem right, days are longer so it's not as bright and colorful.

I really struggled this year to get my tree up because I have been suffering a bad back and vertigo and it was an effort to bring things down from the attic. I have good intentions of getting my tree up early every year but Christmas Eve seems the day the lights and most of the decorations get put on. I was having guests over for Christmas dinner so I needed to make sure it was up and I was doing everything I could to make this Christmas special for my sister since she is now battling lung cancer. I don't take my tree down until the end of January and if not then it has to be down before Valentine's Day. I love my decorations and it makes the house seem cozier and the winter seems to go by faster because once it comes down Spring is just around the corner. We haven't had much of a winter yet though. I am still adding decorations to the tree because my cousin sends me a box of unique or special decorations every year which I just received and I still have friends coming over and my sister ended up not making it here for Christmas so I still need to have a late Christmas for her once she is up to coming over. I am hoping I will have less back pain when it comes time to bring the tree and the decorations back upstairs. Every one of my Christmas bulbs or the handmade decorations the kids made have a memory attached to them or a story and to look at them makes me happy.

i leave my decorations up through January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.

For years, I didn't put up our tree (real tree=real Christmas), until a few days before Christmas. Just have not had the spirit since my kids all became adults. But now that we have a 2 year old ball of energy grandson, we put up our tree the second week of December. We have two big birds up high in the tree and he calls them "Christmas chickens". They aren't chickens.... lol Growing up, we left our tree up until the Ukrainian Christmas was over. We are Dutch, but mom respected their tradition by keeping it up. I think it's the 7th or 8th of January???? But now I take mine down January 1st. My living room is too small to keep it up any longer.

My Tree This Year, Christmas Morning. :)

Pretty tree, and lots of gifts - great photo debby.

ellendi, at least your neighbor's santa isn't laying all muddy and deflated on the ground until Spring. There are several of those scenarios in town. But - perhaps I don't know the whole story, there could be illness and just no one to help.

Christmas trees have to come down??? I'm thinking of marching to a different drummer this year. My tree turned out so gorgeous (IMNSHO) this year that I don't want to deconstruct it. Of course it's artificial, and a new smaller tree (6ft) with an enchanting open profile that looks like a real unshaped tree, which I adore. I am able to hang ornaments from the tips to the trunk instead of along the front plane, the way I prefer. And as I will turn 70 this year, I have lost some of my enthusiasm for dragging out all the boxes and then putting them away again -- twice.

So I am going to experiment with some floating row covers sold for gardening, and gently wrap my beautiful tree against dust and pollen from spring and summer open windows. Thankfully, the living room is huge and the "elephant in the room" won't constrict the space any more than a large chair that has a tall coatrack on it, lol. We rarely have visitors other than close family (who are very familiar with my growing eccentricities and I'm planning on increasing those as long as I can just to keep them on their toes) so I am unlikely to come to the attention of the press or the police. I trust.

If I could figure out how to post photos, I would. And I can hear you all now -- "who IS this crazy woman? Is she certifiable yet? Can't something be done?? Can't we stop her from posting here???.... =)

^^^^Like your style Roxanna.

thanks, acadia!

We have a real tree, and we put it up at least 2 weeks before Christmas, with the intention of leaving it up for two weeks after. But I can never bear to take it down, and there are so many ornaments it takes me a couple of days to do it. So it often stays up until mid-January, especially if, like this year, no needles are dropping. The winter is so long and cold here, and the nights last 15 hours this time of year. We need all the lights and color we can get.

slightly OT but still in the spirit of things: for over 20 years we lived in the converted carriage house of an 1886 Queen Anne brick house. The living room was on the second floor as it formerly was the hayloft, a huge room but awkward as it was roughly 25 feet long and 14 feet wide. There was a wonderful window (12 ft x 12ft) with an arched top in the middle of the long wall and the ceiling was 14 feet tall. It just begged for a truly enormous REAL Christmas tree, which we did for all those years.

Now, mind you, I was in my 30s then, able to leap tall buildings -- well, at least able to climb my great-aunt's borrowed 12-ft ladder to hang ornaments on those 12-foot trees. The most difficult thing to do was to get the naked tree up the enclosed circular inside stairs from the driveway. It took three men to do that job, usually (tho there was the one year when we had the wrapped tree waiting to be hauled up and told our teenaged son to wait til we got home -- typically, he proved his manliness by ignoring us and hauling it up all by himself proudly. At 41 and the papa of four, he is now mostly more sensible, thankfully, lol).

Our Christmas tree in those days took me well over a week to decorate. I am very fussy about my tree, and am the sole decorator. Nobody seemed to mind, tho one year time ran out before I had finished the backside and my DH has never let me forget it ("did you do the back?" he still says. Humph to him, says I).

The tree stayed up til at least Twelfth Night and had to be cut into pieces at that point to be removed and thrown out the large window -- no way to get it back down those narrow circular stairs. One spring during outdoor burning season, we burned some yard debris including the old tree, and it was most sobering to see how extremely fast a dry Christmas tree went up in flames.

Now that I am past the desire and ability to decorate gi-normous trees, and having lost my enthusiasm for vacuuming their needles well into July (how DO they manage to still be lurking??) we have long had artificial trees. I mostly miss the wonderful fragrance, but this way I can keep them up longer and enjoy what Ginny said -- the loveliness of lights and color at this bleak time of darkness.

And I meant what i said in my previous post. Thanks to my new faux tree I am definitely going to cover it and leave it for next year. Why try to improve on near-perfection, hmmm? =)

I'll stop now. Enough already! Thank you for your kind indulgence.

I made a statement that I wait until after Jan.6th. (today). Well, this morning one thing led to another and all of the decorations inside and outside are down. The tree is wrapped up and in the closet. I think I also mentioned that I didn't put any ornaments on the tree this year, save the garlands and the star which stay on permanently.

Got the Pledge duster out and cleaned all the surfaces in the room, put back the tureens and what-nots that get regulated to the bedroom when making way for Christmas decorations, now I have the sweeper waiting for me in the livingroom. Gonna have a cup of tea first.

It was a good Christmas, despite no snow. And I look forward to the next one, God willing. Happy New Year!

Still have to put my fiber optic tree in the basement...just carry it down the stairs and put it on a table down there, no dismantling needed and this year I didn't add ornaments that weren't already on the tree when I bought it..it looked decorated enough.

When I have a tree, I take it down the weekend after the 6th. Outdoor stuff depends on weather forecasts.