When Should You Take Down Your Christmas Decorations?
Now that the festivities of the holiday season are over, it’s time to go back to the boring, humdrum routine of everyday life. The good times aren’t meant to last all year, and we all have to face the reality at some point.
Part of that is taking down the Christmas lights and decorations, all of which you’ve painstakingly put up in preparation for the holidays. Like most people, you probably still have most of them strung up and littering your house. If not, your discipline and fastidiousness should be congratulated!
If you do still have your holiday accouterments up, now might be a good time to think about taking them down. In particular, you might want to give some thought as to when your Christmas lights should be packed away.
When to Take the Lights Down After the Holidays
So when is the best time to take your Christmas lights down? Most generally do so after the holidays are over. But even then, there is a pretty wide variance between the actual dates when people take them down.
Among those of the Christian faith, the lights are usually taken down on January 5 or January 6. These dates mark the Epiphany, which is the last of the 12 days of Christmas.
Either of these days is considered an acceptable time to take the Christmas lights down. But even among Christians, there is some leeway regarding how long they keep their lights up. Some opt to keep them up until the end of the second week of January, after which they are unplugged and placed in storage until the next holiday season.
There are also those who keep their lights up as long as they want without regard for customs and traditions. For many such people, it is more a matter of how long they feel like leaving their lights up.
Some have even been known to keep their lights installed weeks‒or even months‒after the holidays are over. After the festiveness of the holiday season, January and February might seem drab and depressing in comparison. Keeping the lights up could be a way to retain some of the joyousness and cheer, which is certainly a valid reason to hold off on taking the lights down.
When do most people take down their Christmas decorations?
Polls have shown that most people take down their Christmas decorations and lights in mid to late January.
Making the Case for February
If you really want to push the envelope and hold off on taking down your lights for as long as possible, you might even wait until February. It might seem outrageous to some, but there is actually a rationale behind this thinking.
Why February? For one thing, it is the month when Valentine’s Day takes place, which is the first major holiday after New Year’s Day. For some, this is enough reason to keep the lights on for a full six weeks after the Yuletide holidays and take them down on February 14.
Now, if even Valentine’s Day is too soon for you, taking your lights down at the end of February might be more to your liking. Again, this might seem to go beyond the bounds of logic and reason. But again, there may be a valid reason for doing so.
Holding off until the end of February gives you a chance to transition from “holiday” lights to more subdued “winter” lighting. While it might seem like too much trouble for some, the shift in mood and appearance might be just what you need to give the holidays a definitive sendoff.
Safety Considerations
Then there are safety concerns to consider. For some, tradition or superstition doesn’t come into the picture at all. If you are one of these people, the safety and well-being of your family is probably your foremost concern.
Such concerns may be valid, of course. Although Christmas lights and illuminated decorations are generally much safer now than they were years ago, there is still some degree of risk involved in their usage, no matter how slight.
The problem is that Christmas lights are usually left on for hours and even days at a time. Some people even leave their lights on for weeks or when they go on holiday vacation for a couple of weeks. This is generally not a good idea as you could very well come home to a house that is lit‒not by Christmas lights‒but by the fire from an electrical short circuit!
Of course, that is an extreme scenario and one that isn’t likely to happen if you take the necessary precautions. Among these are:
- Never use indoor lights for outdoor installation
- Don’t leave your lights on when leaving the house for several hours
- Avoid stringing together more lights than the manufacturer recommends
- Don’t plug in too many devices into one outlet
- If you have to use extension cords, keep them reasonably short
- Don’t run electrical lines under carpeting
Don’t Wait Too Long…
So far, we’ve given you some good reasons to keep your lights up after the holidays are over. Most are pretty valid, but there are equally legitimate reasons why you shouldn’t wait too long to take your lights down.
For starters, there’s the added energy cost. Are you really prepared to begin the year with an inflated electricity bill? After the excess and expense of the holiday season, the last thing you may want to deal with is an expensive utility bill.
You might also consider how your house will look with Christmas lights way past the due date. Depending on your house design, landscaping, and the other residences around you, the effect might be quite jarring. Even if you don’t care what the neighbors think or say, having Christmas lights up long after the holidays isn’t a good look.
Ultimately, the choice of when to take your lights down is up to you. But do keep practical and aesthetic considerations in mind just to be sure you aren’t stepping over the line.
