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How long do you leave your christmas trees up?


Jen08

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why do you take it down on Christmas afternoon?

For me it's kind of a long story.... I'll give you the short version. Growing up I LOVED everything about Christmas... and my family put all the presents under the tree Christmas Eve when all the family(on my mother's side) would get together. When I was 15 I met "the love of my life" when he played baseball for the minor league team in my town. Luckily he only lived 3 hours away in NC. We beat the odds(luckily his parents loved me and my parents loved him) and managed to keep our relationship going... and got engaged in Sept of 1986 when I turned 18. He was on his way to my house the evening of Dec 24th when he was killed by a drunk driver. He was 21 years old... and he died instantly, and so did a part of me. I can remember being on top of the world one minute, and at the lowest point of my life the next. We never did celebrate Christmas- no gifts ever went under the tree, that year... and by the next Christmas I was out on my own and never had a tree (by choice) until my son was born. As soon as the tree goes up presents go under it... and when there are no presents under it (Christmas afternoon) it comes down... It still depresses me to see a tree with no presents under it... carries me back to a long, long time ago.

Edited by KrisinTn
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For me it's kind of a long story.... I'll give you the short version. Growing up I LOVED everything about Christmas... and my family put all the presents under the tree Christmas Eve when all the family(on my mother's side) would get together. When I was 15 I met "the love of my life" when he played baseball for the minor league team in my town. Luckily he only lived 3 hours away in NC. We beat the odds(luckily his parents loved me and my parents loved him) and managed to keep our relationship going... and got engaged in Sept of 1986 when I turned 18. He was on his way to my house the evening of Dec 24th when he was killed by a drunk driver. He was 21 years old... and he died instantly, and so did a part of me. I can remember being on top of the world one minute, and at the lowest point of my life the next. We never did celebrate Christmas- no gifts ever went under the tree, that year... and by the next Christmas I was out on my own and never had a tree (by choice) until my son was born. As soon as the tree goes up presents go under it... and when there are no presents under it (Christmas afternoon) it comes down... It still depresses me to see a tree with no presents under it... carries me back to a long, long time ago.

that is so sad! Almost the same thing happend to my sister a few years ago. I would have to take it down too!

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Um, I didn't know you were supposed to take the tree down. So that's why everyone stares at me when they come in the house. .... Ok, I did take it down in June one year but just had to turn around and put it back up on Nov. 1. Seems like a lot of work.
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Um, I didn't know you were supposed to take the tree down. So that's why everyone stares at me when they come in the house. .... Ok, I did take it down in June one year but just had to turn around and put it back up on Nov. 1. Seems like a lot of work.

hehehe thats what i was gonna say too lmao;)

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that is so sad! Almost the same thing happend to my sister a few years ago. I would have to take it down too!

so sorry

Thanks...I appreciate it. It was a long, long time ago... and I have gotten over it for the most part, but I guess there are some things that you never truly can put behind you.

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Growing up my parents wouldn't let us put it up until my dad's bday 12/14....too long to wait! Torture to kids! :gd_shake:

 

So the tree goes up on Black Friday, just as soon as by bags are in the door! My son and I put the tree up, put the decorations on, hang lights, set out the nativity. My DH watches (he's sorta a scrooge) and tells us we are nuts. Then we wrap a few presents to put under the tree. I'm always exhausted from shopping, but it is so worth it!:gdthums:

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My husband is the scrooge. Not sure why. We always have had wonderful holidays.

 

I beg (and usually get my way) to get the tree up around the week of my son's birthday. 3rd week of November.

 

I like it up early as by christmas day its gone. No signs of christmas anywhere. Decorations... tree... everything! He is vacuuming by 6pm any tinsel left on the carpet.

 

People come over New Years Eve all the time and always ask where the tree is. Its a long standing joke around here. He just won't budge though.

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Growing up my parents wouldn't let us put it up until my dad's bday 12/14....too long to wait! Torture to kids! :gd_shake:

 

So the tree goes up on Black Friday, just as soon as by bags are in the door! My son and I put the tree up, put the decorations on, hang lights, set out the nativity. My DH watches (he's sorta a scrooge) and tells us we are nuts. Then we wrap a few presents to put under the tree. I'm always exhausted from shopping, but it is so worth it!:gdthums:

We take it down day after Christmas after I get back from buying paper and cards for the next year. The DH scrooge gets that :mad: look if it stays up any longer.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ours usually goes up sometime Thanksgiving weekend........my birthday is 11/23 so sometimes I can convince dh to get it put up early as my "birthday gift". However, never before then.

 

We used to take it down on January 1st--- but the last few years it was the first or second weekend in January usually due to other events going on.

 

Now my inlaws seem to put their tree up every 2-3 yrs. Only when they do put it up-- it usually stays up until the following summer-- same w/ any Christmas decoration they put up (out). They have no ambition to put them away they say. Actually I can almost bet on it that at this minute there are still Christmas Gifts from last year in a stack in the living room at their house they just never put away or used.

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Well, I am the opposite of some of you folks - I grew up with real trees but it was my job during the season to vacuum daily to get up all the pine needles so as an adult I say fake all the way! After I married my husband the decision was made for me anyway - real trees make his sinuses go seriously haywire, so no real trees in our house.

 

We usually put up our tree the Sunday before Thanksgiving (but not the ornaments) and put all the other decorations out around the house. Then the Saturday after Thanksgiving we all go through the ornaments and hang them. The kids like to do this because there are a few ornaments that we hang (heirlooms, breakable, senitmental like for wedding, purchase of house, etc.) and the ones that they made or were purchased for them they get to hang up. The first year we started that tradition my daughter was still really little and we had tons of ornaments at the bottom of the tree and hardly any at the top. My husband asked if I was going to balance them out and move them around - I told him no, the kids were proud of their ornament hanging skills and I thought it was beautiful just the way it was :) sniff..sniff..darn allergies :o It's crazy the things that make me feel all sentimental...

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we used to cut a tree down the first weekend in december and left it up till Jan. 6 (Epiphany). i made sure it was watered every day.

5 yrs ago we bought an artificial tree. the first year we had it, we put it up right after thanksgiving and it stayed up till late January. i just got lazy, liked the look of it and just didn't want to get moving on getting it down; it drove DH crazy,. he likes it down by jan. 6.

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I put mine up Thanksgiving weekend and take it down the weekend after New Year.

 

me too! Mine goes up after I recover from BF shopping and I always tuck just one gift under it it when we are done- well 2 this year DH and DS. OMG that reminds me, I need to wrap those, we are moving Dec 1! and there will be no time to Wrap!:eyepoppin

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