{"id":23174,"date":"2025-12-17T09:40:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T09:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodhomesmagazine.com\/?p=23174"},"modified":"2025-12-17T09:40:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T09:40:43","slug":"when-should-i-take-christmas-decorations-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodhomesmagazine.com\/inspiration\/when-should-i-take-christmas-decorations-down\/","title":{"rendered":"When should I take Christmas decorations down?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you already tired of your tree? Or would you happily enjoy its twinkling lights and bright baubles for another six months? Deciding when to take Christmas decorations<\/a> down can be a dilemma \u2013 especially if not everyone in your home is in agreement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help you make your choice, we’ve consulted a few experts on the matter. And we’ve come up with ways to make the operation as painless as possible when you do get round to ditching the decs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When should I take my Christmas tree down?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, when you take down your decorations should be your personal choice. But the majority of people follow the Christian tradition of taking their trees down the first week of January, on the 12th day of Christmas (5th January) or the Feast of Epiphany (6th January). The Feast of Epiphany commemorates the ‘Three Wise Men’, or Magi, visiting Jesus in Bethlehem. Some believe it’s bad luck to leave decorations up beyond this date.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re quite traditional here, so we tend to take the trees out of our properties 12 days after Christmas,” says Pamela Smith, a gardens and parklands consultant at The National Trust<\/a>. “There’s always a bit of debate in our house as to whether that’s the night or the day of the 5th January. Although I have a friend who takes down all her decorations down on Boxing Day, which horrifies me!”<\/p>

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Removing your tree can be disruptive, especially if you have lots of furniture to negotiate. Image credit: John Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taking down at ‘Twixmas’?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But Pamela’s friend is not alone. According to John Lewis’s Festive Traditions Tracker<\/a>, “We\u2019ve become a country that just can\u2019t wait to declutter. The tradition of waiting until the Twelfth Night (6th Jan) to take everything down is now ignored by one in three, with almost 20% choosing \u2018Twixmas\u2019 – the period between Christmas and New Year\u2019s Day \u2013 to clear away.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the John Lewis Christmas Trend Report 2025 showcases, the majority of us are starting to get into the spirit of Christmas as early as September. With sales of John Lewis’ 10 ft pre-lit Christmas tree sold out by the end of September – a real sign of how much earlier we are getting ready for the festive season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, on the other hand, you and your decorations aren’t easily parted, there is also historical justification to keep them up until February. “Contrary to popular belief, the Christmas season actually continues right through to Candlemas on 2 February,” says Dr Michael Carter, English Heritage\u2019s<\/a> senior properties historian. “So there’s no real reason why you should take your decorations down earlier.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to take down a real tree without making a mess<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve looked after your Christmas tree<\/a> properly, you may think that taking it down will be easy. But that’s usually not the case. “It doesn’t matter how healthy your tree still looks,” says Pamela. “I guarantee you that the minute you start to take it down, it will lose lots of needles.” <\/p>

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Thankfully, however, Pamela has a clever hack for reducing the mess as you drag the tree to your nearest exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Take your decorations off, then put an old quilt cover over the tree and carry it out of the house. The quilt will catch a lot of the needles. You could also use a sheet or a towel or a bin bag, but I find the quilt to be most effective.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 uses for your tree after Christmas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are lucky, your local council may run a Christmas tree recycling scheme. But if you’d rather not mess up your car, or wait weeks for a collection, there are plenty of things you can do with a redundant cut tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n