When is it too late to still have Holiday decorations up?

[Jeff Wrangler]

My tree (man-made, not a cut natural) is still up, as well as my Christmas village/train layout. I put a few things away last week, and on Sunday, which was the Feast of the Epiphany, I packed away my grandma's Nativity set for another year. I also took the wreath off the door, the ornaments off my potted Norfolk Island pine tree, and the garland and ornaments off the dining room chandelier. I also put away the red candles and got the white candles back out and in grandma's candlesticks.

The tree and the train layout will have to wait till next Saturday.

[CellarDweller]

I cleaned out the Christmast stuff at work the day after New Year's Day.  It's still slow then, and I can be away from my cube to do it.

At home, it comes down in stages.  The outside is completely done, and the inside is mostly done.  The tree is still up (but undecorated) and a few knick-knacks are still on shelves.

[Kelda]

Mine always come down on 2nd.. by then they have been up for a month and thats enough.. And now Naylan is here I need the space back for all the toys he got at Christmas!

[Penthesilea]

Traditionally, holiday decorations come down on Epiphany (Jan. 6th) since it marks the end of Christmas season. But I'm always late.
Everything is still up and will be until next weekend at least. But I'm detemined to not let it stand as long as last year, when March was already approaching before I took my tree down....

I just love the warm light of the tree. The chain of light I put around my tree every year is almost as old as I am. My father bought it on my first Christmas when I was a baby. Before me, my parents had real candles (what a nightmare! I couldn't relax for one second! ).
Anyway, it's not only a cherished family heirloom, but also has a warm, aged glow that you just don't get from any other light source.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I just love the warm light of the tree. The chain of light I put around my tree every year is almost as old as I am. My father bought it on my first Christmas when I was a baby. Before me, my parents had real candles (what a nightmare! I couldn't relax for one second! ).
Anyway, it's not only a cherished family heirloom, but also has a warm, aged glow that you just don't get from any other light source.

After Christmas of 2011, when I used my potted Norfolk Island Pine as my Christmas tree, I never took the lights off the tree when I took off all the other ornaments. Sometimes I turn the lights on just to add a nice glow to that part of the room in the evening.

And thanks to keeping the lights on the tree, I can tell that the tree grew five inches in a year. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Mine always come down on 2nd.. by then they have been up for a month and thats enough.

You sound like my mother. With her, everything disappeared New Year's Day. 

I'm thinking that when I take my tree down this weekend, I may keep the "winter landscape" for my train layout for awhile. I'll just pack away the Christmas Village buildings and replace them with other structures that aren't decorated for Christmas.

[Front-Ranger]

I just love the warm light of the tree. The chain of light I put around my tree every year is almost as old as I am. My father bought it on my first Christmas when I was a baby. Before me, my parents had real candles (what a nightmare! I couldn't relax for one second! ).
Anyway, it's not only a cherished family heirloom, but also has a warm, aged glow that you just don't get from any other light source.

Chrissi, in that case I would leave the decor up as long as possible too! What wonderful memories!

A coworker was telling me that Christmas trees originated in Germany and thereabouts and they were not a Christian or pagan thing but rather a way to freshen the interior air during the winter, as things tended to get a little smelly inside. This year I was asked not to put up a Christmas tree by my son in law because of its pagan origins so I'm looking forward to setting him straight about this. The pagan Celts actually worshipped the oak tree, not the evergreen.

My other Christmas ornaments are staying up as long as possible until I get tired of them. A lot of them are not that Christmasy, they're more wintery, such as reindeer figurines, etc. Plus, each year I wait in the vain hope that someone else will initiate this or at least help, but no one ever does. I did pack away my large nativity set because it is very fragile and my grandson was showing an interest in handling each piece which was causing stress. I still have the lovely glass ornament on display that you gave me, friend!

[Jeff Wrangler]

This year I was asked not to put up a Christmas tree by my son in law because of its pagan origins so I'm looking forward to setting him straight about this. The pagan Celts actually worshipped the oak tree, not the evergreen.

There is also the legend--and I'm pretty sure it's a legend--that no less a Christian light than Martin Luther himself was the first to put "lights"--presumably candles--on a Christmas tree to represent the stars in the sky over Bethlehem. You can thank my Lutheran upbringing for that, but if Christmas trees were OK for Luther, then I should think they ought to be OK for your son-in-law. (He sounds like a Puritan--next he'll be wanting you to banish Christmas altogether. Talk about a "war on Christmas"!)

Anyway, now you've got me intrigued and wanting to do research on the origins and history of the Christmas tree!

[Penthesilea]

Chrissi, in that case I would leave the decor up as long as possible too! What wonderful memories!

 

This year I was asked not to put up a Christmas tree by my son in law because of its pagan origins so I'm looking forward to setting him straight about this.

Poor Lee. (see below)

My other Christmas ornaments are staying up as long as possible until I get tired of them. A lot of them are not that Christmasy, they're more wintery, such as reindeer figurines, etc. Plus, each year I wait in the vain hope that someone else will initiate this or at least help, but no one ever does. I did pack away my large nativity set because it is very fragile and my grandson was showing an interest in handling each piece which was causing stress. I still have the lovely glass ornament on display that you gave me, friend!

Do you ask for help or just hope for it? (Maybe there are more members in your family you ought to set straight? )
This year, my kids decorated the tree all by themselves. Jens and I took all the stuff out from storage and set up the tree, and put on the light chain (yes, that's MY job, and I wouldn't let anyone else do it ).
The next day I told the kids to decorate it while I was in town Christmas shopping. It's beautiful!

Great to hear you still have and use the glass ornament!

[Penthesilea]

Anyway, now you've got me intrigued and wanting to do research on the origins and history of the Christmas tree!

Me too!

Our priest told yet another version of the origin of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve service; basically saying that it is indeed of Christian origin (no wonder). I found his version even on wikipedia, low and behold.

What I gathered from scanning through wikipedia:

- there were pre-christian traditions in various cultures to decorate home with evergreens over winter/around the turn of the year. Romans had bay (laurel?) to guarantee long life, other pre-christian tribes used evergreens to scare away devils/demons.

- in medieval times they held plays (paradise plays) about Adam and Eve and the fall of mankind on Dec. 24th. The tree of knowledge/life is usually depicted as an apple tree, but in winter apple trees don't hold leaves, let alone apples. Thus people took an evergreen tree and put wooden apples on it. (That's the version the priest told, and parts of it are also on wikipedia). What I do know is that red, wooden apples are very old, traditional ornaments for Christmas trees.

- the Martin Luther version, like Jeff already mentioned

- In Livonia (present-day Latvia and Estonia), in 1441, 1442, 1510 and 1514, the Brotherhood of Blackheads erected a tree for the holidays in their guild houses

- A Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 reports that a small tree decorated with "apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers" was erected in the guild-house for the benefit of the guild members' children, who collected the dainties on Christmas



All in all I'd say the Christmas tree is associated with Christanity for a very long time. Who cares whether the ancient Romans also put evergreens in their houses in winter? I mean, the Romans also had water closets. I'm pretty sure your SIL does not oppose the use of them as being 'pagan', now does he? ( - sorry, can't help it)

Just tell him the story our priest told. There, you've got it, verified by a real Christian clergyman!