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

[Jeff Wrangler]

Despite being ill again on Sunday, on Monday I managed to get the Christmas Village structures packed up and returned to storage in the basement until next Christmas Season. I also put away the train that had served as the Christmas Express.

For now, I have left the "winter landscape" on the train table. I also continue to have man-made Poinsettias in my flower vases; they can stay for another month or so, as "winter flowers." Then I'll replace them with spring flowers. 

(I also began organizing my tax papers yesterday, but that doesn't have anything to do with holiday decorations.)

I don't know why people don't decorate for the Lunar New Year. It starts on January 28 this year and will be the Year of the Rooster. Lots of decorating possibilities!

I saw something on TV news last night about a company in China making inflatable roosters that look like Donald Trump. The one I saw looked like a great big chicken with a Donald Trump wig! 

Do Asian people decorate their homes for the Lunar New Year? What sort of decorations do they use?

[Front-Ranger]

Do Asian people decorate their homes for the Lunar New Year? What sort of decorations do they use?

Oh yes, New Year is the time when Asian people clean their homes from top to bottom, sweep out all the dirt and ill will, pay all bills, and visit people they haven't seen in a while to make sure they haven't been neglecting anyone. They distribute tangerines and money in special red envelopes to children. There is a scroll of the Kitchen God that hangs in back of the oven. They take down the scroll and burn it so the Kitchen God can go report to heaven on all the good things the family did over the year. Then they put up a fresh new kitchen god. Calligraphy and paintings are hung wishing everybody a prosperous New Year. There are lions and dragons made of paper and red lanterns are used to decorate. There are a lot of traditions which you can google if you're interested.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Oh yes, New Year is the time when Asian people clean their homes from top to bottom, sweep out all the dirt and ill will, pay all bills, and visit people they haven't seen in a while to make sure they haven't been neglecting anyone. They distribute tangerines and money in special red envelopes to children. There is a scroll of the Kitchen God that hangs in back of the oven. They take down the scroll and burn it so the Kitchen God can go report to heaven on all the good things the family did over the year. Then they put up a fresh new kitchen god. Calligraphy and paintings are hung wishing everybody a prosperous New Year. There are lions and dragons made of paper and red lanterns are used to decorate. There are a lot of traditions which you can google if you're interested.

How interesting! Thanks, FRiend! 

[CellarDweller]

I'm putting my Valentine's stuff up tonight.

[Penthesilea]

I'm putting my Valentine's stuff up tonight.

I put my Christmas stuff down two days ago
Well, not everything. The tree is still up. After getting everything else down and neatly packed I decided it was enough work for one Sunday. We'll see about the tree.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I put my Christmas stuff down two days ago
Well, not everything. The tree is still up. After getting everything else down and neatly packed I decided it was enough work for one Sunday. We'll see about the tree.

Putting Christmas stuff away always seems like so much more work than getting it out. 

[CellarDweller]

Yeah, it does!

[Jeff Wrangler]

I don't know why people don't decorate for the Lunar New Year. It starts on January 28 this year and will be the Year of the Rooster. Lots of decorating possibilities!

Gong hey fat choy.

[CellarDweller]

Is it just me, or are more people decorating for Valentine's Day?

I've passed numerous houses with red lights around windows or doors.

quite a few have had shape outlines in windows.






Even inflatables are starting to show up on yards.

[CellarDweller]

We were discussing over coffee today how this decorating is an American thing. We decorate for Christmas  and possibly for birthdays when the children are young.  But I have never seen anyone decorate the rest of the year.

I decorate for holidays when it's darker  earlier.   I will put out lights (orange, green & purple) for Halloween, with a light up jack-o-lantern and bat.   For Thanksgiving, a set of orange lights goes up, with light up turkey forms.   Christmas gets multi-color 'twinkle' lights and a tree and wreath.  February gets a string of red lights, and heart forms in the windows.   St. Patrick's Day gets a strand of green  lights and shamrock forms.   Finally, Easter gets pink lights, and a set of egg forms.

At that point, it doesn't get dark until late at night, and I'm in bed by 10:00, so there's no point to put up lights, to only have to turn them off an hour or so  later, so no red, white and blue lights for Independence Day.