How Long for the Holidays?

Let me start by wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

This is such a special time of the year, but after friends and family have gone home, carols have been sung and gingerbread devoured. When do you switch off the lights for the last time, remove the candles from the windows and put away those holiday decorations.

Sometimes, in our attempt to keep the holiday spirit alive, homes stay decorated well into January and maybe even early February.

This week on the closing table, we’ll look at what is an acceptable date to remove your Christmas tree and decorations from inside and outside your house.

New Years Day seems to be a popular date to start the year off with a clean slate and put away the holiday bric a brac. This tends to be a day off from work for the majority of holiday revelers and the time can be useful to put the house back to normal after almost two months of living in a decorated wonderland.

But, for those of us who like to hold unto the bright, holiday feeling just a little longer, as we transition into the cold gray winter, Little Christmas is an acceptable date to pack away the wreaths, lights, trees and garland. This date, known as the Epiphany, falls on January 6th and is the official end of the Christmas season. In history, before the integration of the Gregorian calendar, this was the celebrated date of Christmas Day. So, it is completely acceptable, according to tradition, if you leave your decorations up until the 6th of January.

However, being an individual is also important, so if holding unto the holiday spirit means that a string of twinkling lights linger in your décor until Memorial Day, so be it…

As a side note, if you have a loved one serving in a war, it is customary to leave candles in the windows until they return home safely.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.