Okay Detroit – When Should You Take Christmas Decorations Down In Your House?
It’s always fun putting Christmas decorations up (unless you’re the guys who have to get the tubs out of the basement) – but when do you take them down? We did some research and here’s what we found:
When To Take Down Christmas Decorations
So I went to ChatGPT and asked “when should you take your Christmas decorations down?” – here’s the response:
According to traditional etiquette, Christmas decorations should typically be taken down on Twelfth Night, which marks the end of the Christmas season. This occurs on January 5th (the eve of Epiphany on January 6th).
Some people follow the belief that leaving decorations up past Twelfth Night is bad luck. Others, especially in Christian tradition, may leave them up until Epiphany (January 6th) or even Candlemas (February 2nd), which is the 40th day of Christmas.
Ultimately, the timing depends on personal preference or cultural and religious traditions. If you’re not concerned with tradition, any time after New Year’s Day is also common and widely accepted.
But What About Your Family?
We have a very rigid gameplan in the O’Brien house when it comes to taking down the Christmas decorations:
- The first weekend after Christmas. That’s it. Always. No matter what. Get ‘er done (although I’ve noticed we’re getting a little slack with the kids older…I’m trying to convince Kathi to keep it up until Easter – hang eggs off it and boom, we’re good)
Maybe we just wrap the tree in plastic and hang it up in the garage? Or get some green guy with a cute dog to break in and steal it all (can we all agree that Max was the mastermind and simply put up with Grinch – it’s a VERY similar plot to “The Usual Suspects”)
One more note when it comes to decorations – I was doing more research on typical or traditional Michigan decorations and this came up:
Polar Bear Decorating
- A fun and uniquely Michigan addition is the appearance of polar bears in outdoor decorations, a nod to the state’s cold winters.
I’m sorry – do we do a lot of Polar Bear stuff? I know there’s the one at Wayne County Lights that likes to flip people off (oh it’s a thing: click here). But do we really celebrate them with decorations? I mean other than drinking all our Coca-Cola and eating people, do you want them around?
So Happy 2025 – now take down your Christmas decorations! Or don’t. All good either way. Just keep an eye out for Max the dog (dude is a criminal mastermind).
