When Should You Take Down Christmas Decorations
When should you take down Christmas decorations is a question everyone asks but to be honest there isn’t a right answer. It’s about what works for you and your family and if they make you feel happy why not keep them up longer.
There are some set expectations like the Twelfth Night, but this isn’t always what works for every family and doing what’s right for you is more important. It’s about finding the balance and how you feel when you start your cleaning and organizing after Christmas.
It’s about what is right for you in this season of your life, when my kids where little we waited until after the 12th December, that is a family birthday and I didn’t want Christmas to overshadow it. But they came down at the latest on the 26th, because I needed to feel normal again.
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Traditional Dates People Follow
Many people follow certain traditional dates for taking down decorations, with Twelfth Night being the most well-known, but ultimately, it’s all about what works for your family.
The Twelfth Night is a religious belief, it marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas and it’s the eve of the Epiphany which is a Christian feast.
What is Twelfth Night and when do people traditionally take down Christmas Decorations? Tom’s guide discusses this in more detail.
There is a lot of myths that it’s bad luck to take them down before or after this date and whilst many people still follow this tradition, luck in my opinion isn’t created by Christmas decorations.
It’s about personal choices and for me, I needed them down before the Twelfth Night, but if you want to keep them up longer than this then it is totally OK too.
When Most People Actually Take Them Down
There are a lot of different answers to this question and I was most surprised by my research for the answers that came up here:
- Between Christmas and the New Year
- First week of January
- When school starts or just before
- When it just feels that the time is right for them to go
But what is important is embracing what you feel is right for you and your family.
Signs It’s Time To Take Them Down
Even if you love the holidays and everything about decorating your home there does come a time when enough is enough and they have to go. The signs you need to look out for are:
- They start to feel messy and annoying
- You are avoiding cleaning because you don’t want to deal with them
- The holiday lights are starting to feel annoying and not magical
- You are feeling that you don’t have the space that you used to
When the decorations become annoying and not cosy then it’s time they need packing away for another year.
Is It OK To Leave Christmas Decorations Up Longer?
If you want to leave your decorations up longer then you do just that. What you have and how you decorate your home is your choice and not someone else’s.
The colours and the festive moods can feel better when the holiday decoration is still up. If it’s good for your mental health then go for it.
If you have a busy home and getting the decorations down is something you need to plan then make the most of the moments with the holiday cheer until it’s a realistic time for you.
Just remember you don’t have to feel guilty if you want to leave them up longer.
Before You Take Them Down: Do This First
Having a stress-free decorating spree comes from planning the year before. Don’t jump into the decoration removal with the thought to just throw everything in a box and you will deal with it next year.
The first thing is to take a photo of the item and use this to identify what goes where especially if you haven’t kept the instructions.
You must label the boxes as you pack with what is in each box and if there are fragile decorations make sure you are taking the time to pack these carefully.
If you have any snow globes, you need to read this article on how to pack these carefully for the next holiday season.
If something is broken, now is the time to get rid of it, and if there are items that you don’t like, it’s time to get rid of them and not store them for another season.
Common Mistakes People Make When Taking Decorations Down
It’s very easy to throw everything into a box and call it done! However, next season you will not be very popular. There will be tangled lights, random items in random boxes and potentially breakages.
How to avoid these mistakes when taking down your decorations is simple, you need to prepare first and get the storage solutions you need and a label maker to ensure you know what’s in every box.
Read: Organize Christmas Storage Boxes With Labels
How To Store Christmas Decorations So Next Year Is Easier?
You are going to decide a category system, you can go by room or by colour. This way you will be able to choose the room you are decorating or the colour you want to decorate this year.
It’s important that you use labels, some people suggest clear boxes, but as long as the box is labeled correctly I think that is all that’s important.
With fragile items you are going to need to take extra care to ensure that they are packed up in a way that is going to protect them for seasons to come.
Keeping lights separate is going to make sorting them easier, if they have dedicated storage systems in their own container not only are you going to make the organizing easier it’s going to be easier next season too. Check out this article for more information of storing Christmas lights.
Take Them Down When You Are Ready
A great idea for knowing when it’s time to take down the decoration are when:
- You stop feeling the joy when you look at them
- Your home feels hectic and you are ready for some calm
- You want to do a deep clean
- Time appears in your calendar and you just grab the moment
There Are No rules For When Christmas Decorations Come Down
Remember the choice is yours when you take down your holiday decorations, there are no rules you must follow and there is no good luck if you leave them up for a certain time.
Take them down when you are ready and you have time to put them away properly.
If you’re ready to move into organizing mode, start here…
Check out these articles if you are looking for more articles on cleaning and organizing after Christmas.
- Simple Tips For Organizing Toys After Christmas
- Top Tips For After Christmas Cleaning
- How To Deal With Christmas Organizing After The Holidays
