5 Reasons Why You Should Take Your Christmas Tree Down By New Year’s Day
If you keep your tree up until February this is for you.
Brooke Houghton. Right: Christmas tree.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Just because Taylor Swift sings, "we can keep the Christmas lights up till' January," doesn't mean you should.
The holiday season is a mirage of twinkling lights, pine trees and childhood nostalgia, but that magic isn't supposed to last forever.
After growing up in a hyper-organized household where I had to fight to keep the Christmas tree up on boxing day, I firmly believe your tree should be on the curb, and your lights should be packed up by the new year.
Now, before you call me a grinch, I believe in decorating to the nines and heck, whether you put your tree up in November or December, I couldn't care less – but come January 1, the party's over.
The longer you wait to clean up, the harder it gets, and the Christmas magic loses its allure.
You wouldn't keep a birthday banner up for a month after the fact, so why keep a tree? The holidays are dead and gone, and it's time to bury the body.
Here are five reasons why you should pack up your tree before the ball drops this year because, as my mom says, "Christmas is over."
You have the time to do it
Chances are you have some time off work from December 26 to January 1, so it's really the perfect time to get cracking and put old Saint Nick away.
Depending on how hard you go for the holidays, you probably have outdoor lights, a Christmas tree, mounds of wrapping paper, and maybe an inflatable or two to pack up and put away.
Getting set up for Christmas is no small task and putting it all away is a massive time suck. So, why wait until the new year when you're back to work and busier than ever?
Your future self will thank you when you're not freezing your butt off on the roof in mid-January.
The longer you wait the harder it gets
When I had my first Christmas away from home, I revelled in leaving my decor up past the holidays — until weeks had passed and putting my stocking away suddenly seemed worse than doing the dishes.
Just like any task, the longer you procrastinate something, the harder it gets to actually do it, and suddenly, you're swapping Christmas decor for Valentine's Day balloons.
If you have a real tree the needles will be a pain in the a** to clean up
Personally, I like a real tree, and if you do too, you know that delicious pine scent comes with a price.
The older a tree gets the faster needles fall and scatter all over your floor and suddenly, you're not taking a tree out. You're cleaning up a small forest.
So, even if your tree has a bucket of water, it won't last forever, and you may as well end things on an earlier and cleaner note.
New Year, new space
The new year is a sparkly fresh slate, and why wouldn't you want your space to reflect that?
A clean house is a great way to jump into your goals with a clear headspace and start fresh for the new year.
The holidays are over! Contain the magic
If every day were Christmas, it wouldn't be special.
The holidays are a time to celebrate with your loved ones, and while decoration scan enhances that atmosphere, there is not meant to be a permanent fixture in your home.
If that's your personal style, by all means, keep them up but if you plan on taking them down, just hurry up and get it over with.