When Do You Take Down Christmas Decorations?
When do you take down your Christmas decorations?
Some people get busy on Dec. 26th. The gifts are opened, and the family has gathered, so why not get ready for the New Year? For others, the timing may be dictated by the next free weekend or if you have more out-of-town family or guests coming for a New Year's celebration.
I like to have the cheerful decor on display for as long as possible. After all, it's a lot of work decorating and putting them away. Somehow, the lack of decorations and lights seems to make the nights colder and longer and signal the doldrums of the long winter that awaits. We also had our carpets cleaned and didn't decorate the tree until December 11th this year
A little research shows the majority of the country chooses to take Christmas decorations down between the 5th and 6th of January.
And for good reason. Those specific dates fall on Monday and Tuesday in 2026.
January 5th & 6th mark the Christian observance of Three Kings Day, the traditional end of Christmas season celebrations.
Many Christians extend their Christmas festivities until Twelfth Night, which occurs on January 5th.
Many Christians leave their tree up until Twelfth Night, which marks the end of the 12 nights of Christmas, which begin on Christmas Day. Twelfth Night is also Epiphany Eve
Epiphany is a very important date on the Christian calendar commemorating the day the Magi visited the newborn Jesus
The custom may also be tied to the Victorian era as a signal to end the Christmas festivities and send people back to work.
Still too soon?
Wait until Candlemas in February to take down your decorations.
Some people observe the Catholic festival of Candlemas on Feb. 2nd, which commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary after childbirth and the presentation of Christ in the Temple, according to Jewish law.
Whenever you take down the holiday trimmings and Christmas decor, I hope you have been able to spend time with the ones you love.
One more thing struck me as I wrote this article. We have a 12 Days of Christmas carol, but why not a 12 Nights of Christmas carol? 12 Days of Christmas is all about gifts received, but I think we need a 12 Nights of Christmas song about all of the blessings we have received.
May you have a blessed New Year!