when should decorations come down

For most people, the sweet spot for taking decorations down is sometime between New Year’s Day and around 6 January, with tradition pointing specifically to “Twelfth Night” on 5 or 6 January and practicality pointing to “as soon as the tree dries out.”

Classic tradition: Twelfth Night

Many Christian and cultural traditions treat Twelfth Night as the end of the Christmas season.

• Twelfth Night usually falls on 5 or 6 January, depending on how the “12 days of Christmas” are counted.

• In this view, decorations should come down on or just after Twelfth Night/Epiphany to “close” the festive period and avoid the idea of lingering bad luck.

Practical timing: New Year to first week of January

A lot of modern advice focuses less on superstition and more on comfort, safety, and aesthetics.

• Some home and design experts recommend taking decorations down on New Year’s Day or within the first week of January to create a clean slate and reduce visual clutter.

• Many etiquette and interiors sources agree that leaving outdoor lights up beyond the second week of January can start to look out of season, even if they’re still working fine.

Safety: live trees and fire risk

If you have a real tree or natural greenery, safety can matter more than tradition.

• Live Christmas trees typically stay in good condition for around four weeks; after that, they dry out and drop needles heavily.

• Fire safety advice stresses not letting a live tree get too dry, as brittle trees and old lights can become a serious fire hazard, giving a strong reason to take everything down by early January at the latest.

What people actually do (forums and polls)

Online discussions and polls show a wide spread of habits, often driven by mood more than rules.

• Some people insist everything should be down right after Christmas (even as early as 26 December), while others happily keep decorations up until 6 January or through most of January.

• In Christmas-decor communities, many commenters encourage “leave them up if they make you happy,” with some keeping cozy lights through winter even if the overtly Christmas items are packed away.

Simple rule of thumb

If you want a quick guideline you can actually use:

1. If you follow tradition or enjoy a ritual:
   • Take decorations down on Twelfth Night (5 or 6 January).

2. If you’re more practical or not very attached to dates:
   • Aim for New Year’s Day through the first week of January, sooner if your real tree is drooping or drying out.

3. If you just love the atmosphere:
   • Keep subtle, wintry lights up into January (or even all winter) and only pack away obviously festive items once the holiday feeling fades for you.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.