When do you take yours down?

What a lovely idea, Grandmama. I'm going to keep a few of my best bits out till Candlemass now to brighten the place up for at least another few weeks.

I said earlier that we didn't actually put any decorations up this year, but in Norway we bought some 'candle style' Christmas tree lights, which my husband put up around the mirror in our hall yesterday. Perhaps he's finally got in touch with his feminine side.

I used to take everything down on twelfth night but in the last few years we have followed the medieval Christmas period and left everything up until Candlemass - 2 February. The tree is usually getting bald by twelfth night (and it takes up a bit of room even though it is always a small tree) so that goes out on twelfth night but the cards (on the hall side of the bannister with white tac) and the other bits and pieces stay until 2 Feb along with the Ikea strings of illuminated stars in the front room window.

Reluctantly I will take them down tomorrow - I have loved the twinkly brightness at this very dark time of year -I think I might leave the string of icicle lights up in the conservatory though - as it is a welcome diversion for the one year old currently living with us - she looks at them in awe and calls them "stars" ! !

The great thing about taking the Christmas tree down is that I get the few chocolate coins that the grandchildren missed.

My decorations are down now. Lovely when they are up but so glad to see the back of the. Bought a small snowman plant holder with Kalanchoe (? Name of plant and spelling) as plant is still alive guess the snowman will have to stay up until next Christmas

PS Baubles re your suggestion on fairy lights, and sort of contrary to my original thoughts, there has been a rather good compromise!

The large fake plant is back in the corner of the sitting room, but with lights on! That way when we move it back into the hall next year (assuming we are still here) the lights can also be draped around the mirror and the hall will look extra lovely again!

kitty I too would give serious consideration to being a friend to someone with flashing musical lights! (shudder).

I have just taken down the (artificial) tree, first time we have not had a real one in 5 years, and it too has made one hell of a mess! (I would have expected better from a John Lewis tree!) We have had this bloody thing since 2008, but haven't used it since then until now.

A tip for those of you with real ones. Spread a dust sheet on the floor, grasp your secateurs and chop off all the branches bit by bit onto the dust sheet. You should end up with just a bare trunk, which you can get outside without mass shedding through the house. Bundle up the sheet and carry out, place branches in wheelie bin or whatever.

Drink any remaining sherry.

Can I come to your next dinner party Maggie - sounds much more fun than the ones I usually go to, or hold for that matter!

I have lights on my tree but no way would I have ones that flashed. I have a friend who has some lights that, on one particular setting, change the colour of the lights and play Jinglebells - well, she was a friend until she displayed such a lapse in taste

I've started collecting things up and putting them onto the dining table but refuse to take the tree down until Monday. Harrigran, how do they do that - ours drops needles all over the place. A cunning plan to ensure we have to buy new ones periodically.

Still holding out till Monday. When I will have a massive day of taking down and cleaning before work again on Tuesday. Which gets me out of doing any more today to repair the mess from my little dinner party last night. My keyboard is still sticking from the full glass of red wine flung across and down the back of the computer desk and my kitchen floorboards are still recovering from the broken glass full of fizz that landed on them. Only one of which incidents was actually down to me.

Tree and decorations down this morning, stowed in the attic and lounge furniture returned to usual positions and floors cleaned. My artificial tree drops as many needles as a real one

Tegan definately

My decorations are now down!
Why does my lounge seem much bigger?

Shirley Hughes stories and illustrations are lovely!

Her drawings just catch the essence of childhood, don't they.

Tegan I adore Shirley Hughes I read the Alfie books to my sons and now to my DGC. They are lovely comforting stories with happy endings aren't they. I love her illustrations just wish I could afford one.

She is Wirral born like myself and her father was part of the TG Hughes empire based mainly (I think in the North West)

Everything put away now and I decided to keep a couple of small tables in the hallway where I had put them to make way for tree as it made front room feel less 'busy' . Came into the room after preparing supper to discover DH has put everything back exactly as it was before. He hates change! Took a deep breath and managed to discuss it without too much of a tense debate. They are back in the hall now

Right, going back to Baubles post of yesterday at 17.59, I think that tempting as it is, I will take the lights down from the hall, partly because it makes it more special when we put them up again!

Make sense?

There's always one that you missed - after much messing about putting stuff away in the loft I have just found a lone bauble and a set of spare lights. Grrrrr!

I always wanted my children to have a childhood that they could look back on with such fondness. Nonu; Lucy and Tom are a series of books by Shirley Hughes. They live in a lovely old rambling house and Christmas is spent making cards and mince pies etc [oh, and of course it snows on Christmas Day!].

I remember that maggiemaybe! The family rose to the occasion admirably.

I'm wallowing in nostalgia now when I'm supposed to be getting ready for friends coming round this evening! I adored The Country Child - I can remember our teacher reading from it at the end of each day. We were all country children at that particular school so related to it. I remember a lovely tale where the little farm girl invited all her class to a party without telling her parents and they were all given chunks of fresh bread, home made fruit cake and newly boiled, new-laid eggs. Sigh.

Wonder if my guests would be happy with that tonight?

I used to read a lot of books like that. I think it was when I lost my mum and realised I'd never asked her about her childhood. Spent a year or so devouring books like Lark Rise, A Child in the Forest, A Ragged Schooling Cider with Rosie etc. I've taken down everything but the tree. And the decorations that stay in the living room all year.

When I was taking down the tree I suddenly thought it would have looked better in a different part of the room - so have made a note in diary for NEXT December to remind me to try it out!!

Decided to bite the bullet and get it done today. It has taken two and a half hours and my back is now breaking Thought everything was packed away but DH has just found a garland and a couple of baubles left behind. Anyway, it all looks very bare now but nice and clean.