Christmas is over

[Allisonfaye]

Why are your lights still up?

 

[TravelingGal]

because no one is home?

 

[Kaleigh]

One of our neighbors still has their''s up. They are late every year in taking them down.

 

[door knob solitaire]

This drives hubub completely nutts. He drives me to a house in town in the middle of March...and shows me the tree is still on in the living room!!! The man can''t deal with it. I always look behind the seat and make sure he doesn''t have any eggs or TP. If April rolls around...it just my be me slinging out a dozen.

I like to think they have a service man or woman coming home in March and have held the celebration in waiting for them. The fruitcake should still be good.

 

[Dee*Jay]

One of our neighbors still has their TREE up. Right in the bay window in the front. I speculated to the HH the other day that maybe they were waiting for the Chinese New Year, but he pointed out that they are Korean...

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 1/28/2008 2:38:25 PM
Author: door knob solitaire

I like to think they have a service man or woman coming home in March and have held the celebration in waiting for them.

LOL DKS, you are far too kind!!

 

[decodelighted]

I''m really stumped as to why this would bother anyone who isn''t a complete control freak? So ... people like to prolong the holidays ... lights are festive ... folks are lazy. Whatever!

In fact -- strung across the FRONT of my white clapboard cottage are dripping white icicle lights that were there the day I moved in SIX YEARS AGO. There isn''t even POWER TO THE FRONT YARD anymore. Who cares? It''s like, um, FRINGE. I''d put up tassles too on the window peaks if I thought it would peeve someone.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 1/28/2008 2:43:26 PM
Author: decodelighted
It''s like, um, FRINGE.

ROFL!

 

[Rhea]

Our neighbour down the street never takes them down. And not just their lights either but their reindeer and sleigh that sit on the roof of their porch and the santa that is on the roof. They finally get around to turning off the lights on them (but still leave them up) around Feb/Mar. We get peace until Oct when they turn on the lights again. I''d hate to pay their electric bill (or live next to them - I''d likely be jailed for harassment and assault).

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I just took down our stockings a week and a half ago *looks around in shame* I''ve been kinda busy. Do I get a pass?

 

[Aloros]

Hehehehe, this is why I never put lights up outside, because I know it would take me forever to get around to taking them down! The tree comes down after New Year''s, but that''s right in my face every day.

 

[Catmom]

Because it''s been @#$%^& cold and there hasn''t been a day since Christmas where there hasn''t been snow or rain on the roof. I welcome anyone who wants to go up there to get those suckers down! We decided it wasn''t worth risking our lives over.

We did get all the others down, though.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 1/28/2008 2:55:31 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I just took down our stockings a week and a half ago *looks around in shame* I''ve been kinda busy. Do I get a pass?

Yes you get a pass, LOL!!!

 

[Mara]

ha ha i was in MN last week and a bunch of people still had trees up, lights out, stuff on the lawn. i was like hello? and my coworker said that it was because it's friggin cold and depressing out there so people like to leave them up to cheer themselves up. i thought THAT was even more depressing than the cold, because i'd just be SAD every day looking at those lights thinking that christmas is over and not coming for another 12 months...hahaha.

orthodox christmas is like jan 10th or something i think, but i agree, end of jan is pushing it.

some people do keep white lights out year round, i think that's cute when it's like outdoor bbq apropros or on a gazebo or something.

i'm not a control freak. much. this is why i think sometimes HOA's are a good thing. as long as you can have your indoor blinds something other than white or neutral. blah.

 

[sunnyd]

My FSIL and FBIL still have their tree from LAST YEAR in their garage!!!

Hahaha, the best part is that it''s still green!!! They got a miracle tree. They were waiting for boy scouts to come but they never did...so there it sat...for 1 whole year.

I also can''t stand when people leave their lights up...I''ll admit I am a control freak.

At least unplug them!!!

 

[Erin]

Date: 1/28/2008 4:09:12 PM
Author: sunnyd

I also can't stand when people leave their lights up...I'll admit I am a control freak.

At least unplug them!!!

Yes, this also bugs the

outta me.
That's fine if it's too cold to take them down or you fell ill, or you've been in Maui since New Year's Eve, or your great grandson was supposed to do it but he's now hooked on the Xbox he got from Santa and your son won't MAKE him take Grandma's lights down.

But why keep them plugged in?

However, to totally contradict myself, the only reason why I'd keep them up and lit at the end of February is to peeve the same people in my neighborgood who put theirs up BEFORE THANKSGIVING which bothers me even more than those who leave them up too late!

 

[door knob solitaire]

I'd put up tassles too on the window peaks if I thought it would peeve someone. -Deco

Deco honey...get up and there and tassle your hiney off...you've got your wish!!

Starset...we found a home this year that was decorated in August! Argghhh. So you just go on and campaign your side! Great for you! But I am still going to be tisking when I drive by whether it is for a cause or not! Just let me know it is your house or decos and I will save the eggs for another.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 1/28/2008 3:55:34 PM
Author: Kaleigh

Date: 1/28/2008 2:55:31 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

I just took down our stockings a week and a half ago *looks around in shame* I''ve been kinda busy. Do I get a pass?

Yes you get a pass, LOL!!!

Thanks Lisa! I promise to be more on top of it next year! At least no one could see them unless they were in my house.

 

[FrekeChild]

I just took my tree down this weekend. :hides head in shame:

 

[Elmorton]

I grew up leaving everything up until January 6th (this year everything was down early - with all the travel we did I wanted Christmas to be over STAT), but by that time school had started up and both of my parents are teachers, so often ours was the house with red and green porch lights until my birthday in April. About a week ago, I made the mistake of asking the ''rents "So, is your tree still up?" I thought I was joking, but their answer was serious. Since I helped put the tree up the day before Christmas, I have a feeling they''re waiting for me to return home to help them take it down.

I will say that I''m a little miffed by the church in our neighborhood that still has their Christmas wreaths up. It''s just a few weeks away from Ash Wednesday, c''mon!

 

[joflier]

we have some neighbors that have those nice little icicles hangning all around the house. They are still lit up. they are colorful ones. and they blink. and they flash. and about 1/4 of them aren''t even working. Yes. I am bothered.
Ok now, I know its been cold, but can''t we just unplug them. Please?

 

[Odilia]

Date: 1/28/2008 6:10:54 PM
Author: Elmorton
I grew up leaving everything up until January 6th. .... It''s just a few weeks away from Ash Wednesday, c''mon!

You bring up a few good points. Because contrary to what most are probably thinking, it REALLY REALLY BUGS ME when people take their decorations down before January 6th, considering that is only the 12th Day of Christmas. According to Catholic custom, you don''t put them up at Thanksgiving, because that is around the beginning of Advent, which is a penitential season, somewhat like Lent. You normally wait until around Christmas Eve to put them up, and then they should stay up at the very least until Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany and 12th Day of Christmas, and preferably thru the Octave of Epiphany, which is 8 days later. But some of us (yes I''m one of those annoying people who leave them up longer - because I LOVE Christmas, and I too want to enjoy it for about a month or so, which is what those of you who start at Thanksgiving do) like to leave them up until Feb. 2, which is the Feast of the Presentation of the Baby Jesus in the Temple. Since He''s still a baby at that feast, it''s not totally inappropriate to keep them up until Feb. 2. Although, as Elmorton points out above, this year is kinda weird because Lent starts extremely early, so it might be the year they should come down earlier.

I know in our materialistic society, since Christmas has become so commercialized, the stores start putting Christmas stuff out in July or something (LOL - okay I''m exaggerating) to sell more stuff, and most folks like to decorate around Thanksgiving, having decorations up by now may seem ridiculous. But it is our commercialized world that has it backwards; really the month or so to have them up, from a Liturgical Year standpoint, is from Dec. 24 to at least Jan. 13 or so...
I don''t know if that''s why some people still have them up, but that''s why I do. I know, I''m an oddball. I often wonder what the neighbors think about my Christmas tree still being up - now I know!

BTW, I am not trying to say, above, that the vast majority of you who put them up at Thanksgiving or so etc... are materialistic! I know it''s the common custom today. I think what probably happened over the last century or so is since the stores want to sell lots of stuff at Christmas (this is the materialistic part), they put everything out early, which then must have led people to start doing so as well, I guess.?? Not sure, but anyway, I know most people probably aren''t even aware of the traditional way of looking at it.

 

[somethingshiny]

Here''s the kicker!!

My parents still have their outside lights up. They don''t turn them on, but there are dangling icicles everywhere. The kicker is this...I put up these lights (there''s a huge fear of heights that spans everyone in my family except for me.) I put these lights up when I was 7 months pregnant. My son will be two next month.

I don''t take down our trees until Epiphany which is Jan 6. But, then they immediately come down. We have neighbors who still have their giant, inflatable, creepy, lawn critters up.

 

[joflier]

Date: 1/28/2008 7:56:24 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Here''s the kicker!!

My parents still have their outside lights up. They don''t turn them on, but there are dangling icicles everywhere. The kicker is this...I put up these lights (there''s a huge fear of heights that spans everyone in my family except for me.) I put these lights up when I was 7 months pregnant. My son will be two next month.

I don''t take down our trees until Epiphany which is Jan 6. But, then they immediately come down. We have neighbors who still have their giant, inflatable, creepy, lawn critters up.

Whew....good thing their lights aren''t on....otherwise your parents might have been my decorating challenged neighbors!

 

[somethingshiny]

Tee hee hee!

Well, I''m glad that you don''t live there....their neighbor''s house is a trailer....with a crazy old lady who makes pancakes and sausages every morning for my sisters'' St. Bernard.

Be glad you only have the decorating challenged neighbors...

 

[gingerBcookie]

we just took everything down 2 weeks ago *hangs head in shame* but in our defense...everything was unplugged...we''ve just been really busy...annnnd we missed our heavy trash day in january which that made it that much easier for us to leave everything up...but now everything is neatly put away buuuut our now naked dead tree is still sitting in our living room waiting for february heavy trash day *ducks rotten eggs from dks*

 

[monarch64]

Date: 1/28/2008 3:52:41 PM
Author: Catmom
Because it''s been @#$%^& cold and there hasn''t been a day since Christmas where there hasn''t been snow or rain on the roof. I welcome anyone who wants to go up there to get those suckers down! We decided it wasn''t worth risking our lives over.

We did get all the others down, though.

LOL! DH and I didn''t even do our outside lights this year because by the week after Thanksgiving it was snowy and cold outside...I was sad about it at first but now I''m glad we didn''t have to take the damn things down because it has been so crappy out this winter!

We do have some neighbors who leave their lights up (and lit) until almost St. Pat''s Day...it is rather annoying to say the least. We try to take ours down the week after New Years...but even if they don''t get taken down by then they''re not lit long after NY''s! The heating bill is hard enough to swallow...why would we want to pay extra for Christmas lights much past the holidays? I guess others'' priorities in our neighborhood are different from ours, lol!

 

[joflier]

Date: 1/28/2008 10:20:13 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Tee hee hee!

Well, I''m glad that you don''t live there....their neighbor''s house is a trailer....with a crazy old lady who makes pancakes and sausages every morning for my sisters'' St. Bernard.

Be glad you only have the decorating challenged neighbors...

You raise a good point.

 

[Sparkster]

I guess it''s the same reason why supermarkets are already stocking up with Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns - so we can celebrate all year (not).

Honestly....it''s 29 Jan and the Australian Supermarkets are already stocking easter stuff. I know that a lot of Christmas and Easter has become commercialised but this is freakin ridiculous!

 

[somethingshiny]

Hey, don''t knock the Cadbury Egg. I was so pleased to see them in the checkout line!!