Holidays: how long to leave up Christmas decorations

Self-tutoring about holiday lifestyle: the tutor observes various timelines of Christmas decoration retraction.

In yesterday’s post I refer to post-Christmas shopping this year. There is one thing I didn’t mention: when stores take down their Christmas decorations.

In the mall, some stores still had some decorations up, while others had already removed them or had only subtle ones showing. At the coffee shop, one could still get a candy cane latte.

In general, Christmas was no longer “evident” except for two installations, both in the thoroughfare of the mall itself. One was a huge red decoration that people could walk through. The other was a huge green seat flanked by decorative barriers and, I believe, surrounded by cotton fashioned to look like snow. One had to assume this was Santa’s seat, where photographs would happen, before Christmas, with children.

It intrigued me that Santa’s seat would remain while so many other decorations had been taken down. The big red “walk through” decoration I found less surprising to be left, since the Holiday season is still in force.

Later that day we went to a warehouse store, where I didn’t notice any Christmas decorations still up. Interestingly, some Easter chocolate was already in evidence.

In theory, the “12 days of Christmas” extend to January 5th inclusive (I believe). It fascinates me how people navigate that boundary with their Christmas decorations, goodies, etc.