Christmas officially over...?

How would high fat Belgian chocolate truffles be of any use to a homeless or hard-up, undernourished person? It would be like a smack in the face! I would rather donate a packet of Weetabix.

To avoid the dreaded fatness. And clogged arteries.

And I so wish I hadn't chucked mine out.

Why are some of you throwing away the chocolate ?!

I'm with you on that Wilmaknicks, I couldn't throw edibles away when people may enjoy them. My parents were never Scrooge types but like most of my generation, I was taught to use up any scrap of food. When ours were in their teens, it was a family joke/reality, that whoever cooked on Thursday had to use what ever was left in the fridge. It served my girls well, they can all make a decent meal out of a few veg, the odd tin and rice or pasta.
I will take any uneaten chocs/biscuits etc to the food bank, I froze the turkey remainders and stock made from its bones. There is some ham left which we're using up but I'll freeze any left over ham tomorrow. I love the indulgence of Christmas, love the house being decorated and the tree looking lovely. I was brought up in a liberal CofE household and have continued that tradition in my adult life. So, it's 12th night for us before the decos go away till next year.

I was a bit shocked too at posters saying they'd thrown out chocolates and biscuits, etc.

I'm not sure if food banks will welcome them after Christmas though (they can be a bit strict like that), but maybe there's a care home near by or even a homeless shelter or a branch of the Salvation Army that would welcome treats being donated all year round. I'm sure the staff at the local doctors' surgery/hospital/hospice would take it off your hands too (for them, not the patients!). How about donating it to the next school raffle?

I always used to take it into work and leave it in the tea/coffee area because even if lots of my colleagues were on a diet, there were plenty who were not and it soon disappeared.

I couldn't just chuck it out in good conscience.

We're off for a week tomorrow, so Christmas has been put away. But I usually take everything down on New Years Day - a relic of having to go back to work early in January which didn't, somehow, feel Christmassy...

Some posts spoke about chucking out chocolate. This morning I took unwanted gift boxes of chocolates, biscuits and other sweet items I don't eat to the food bank.

I take mine down gradually tree and trimmings down this w/end will leave cards til 12th night .?

Ours will come down on the Monday after New Year when OH (not sure if you have different names for them here - i'm afraid I don't recognise any of the abbreviations used here, and take guesses as to what they might mean by context!!) goes back to work, and I can get on without interruptions! I take a lot of care decorating the tree (pretend, obvs!), and putting cosy fleeces, cushion covers etc about the place, and I want my "money's worth" out of all that effort!! Besides, once they're down it is properly miserable January, which I struggle through only by clinging onto the thought of our holiday getting ever closer!

Decorations etc not taken down until twelfth night in our house. I'm rather superstitious but some years ago DH complained that the decorations looked like they shouldn't be there after 1st Jan and all our neighbours houses seemed to be without their Christmas lights after New year. I therefore relented and took them down before twelfth night but that year was just the most awful we have had. DH had a breakdown and was made redundant so from then on the decorations haven't come down before twelfth night

I didn't know that it's considered unlucky not to burn the tree

Don't worry, phoenix, I just read that somewhere and it made an impression! Logically it makes no sense at all as we've only been putting up christmas trees in the UKsince the early 19th C; no time at all for such a myth to develop

It might be even more unlucky to try and burn one on an open fire as it burns extremely fiercely and can cause a chimney fire...

Ours goes on a bonfire at whatever time we happen to be having one. I won't even put it on my precious woodburner because of the tar deposit it might leave in the very expensively lined chimney...

All down, done and dusted, much to DH His Grumpiness.
This Christmas has been the least Christmassy one ever, mainly because muggings had to do absobloodylutely everything and I was knackered before it started.
Never mind, everyone enjoyed it ?

Mine went up 1st Monday in December and are not coming down until 12th night, I love it all, and put up quite a lot so it's got to stay up a while to be worth going to all that trouble in the first place.

I'm having family over New Year's Day for dinner. Tree, decorations and cards will be down on the 2nd January. I will take the cards for recycling to M&S.

Tree and cards will go 1st/2nd Jan I think. Tree has been up since 20th, an artificial one for the first time this year because it was simpler while recovering from hip op. Didn't seem as Christmassy as a real tree. At home in my childhood, the tree was decorated on the afternoon of Christmas Eve and stayed there with the other decorations till 12th night.

I took our tree down yesterday - my grandkiddies have gone to stay with their Dad until Saturday afternoon so daughter asked me to tidy the Christmas decorations away.
When we move into our own house (in rented accommodation at the moment) I will revert to my own timings of putting the decorations in the room on my side of the house up for the Solstice and then decorating my tree on Christmas Eve. My own choice is to tidy away on Boxing Day but I know my daughter likes to have the decorations up until January usually, and next year my ex son in law will have the kiddies for Christmas so my daughter will want to leave the decorations in her part of the house up over New Year.

Everything here stays up until 12th night at which time the wise men are added to the crib scene which then stays in situ until Candlemas.

It's not over here until 6th when the Kings come and bring presents. Concerts, procession and a big meal on 5th make this the big one. All quite low key on Christmas Day with buses running and people out on the streets and in parks. Suits us but wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

Ours will be taken down either on New Years day or on Sunday, depending how we feel.

I didn't know that it's considered unlucky not to burn the tree we never have before!

To minimise the mess, we usually cut all the branches off with the tree still in situ and gather them up in a dust sheet, so that there is only the bare stem/trunk to take through the house.

I usually take them down on 12th Night, which is why they rarely go up bfore 22nd or so. This year we went to DD. so we didn't bother putting anything up, not even the cards...

At church on Sunday, we were told that "Christmas" wasn't over until Candlemas, 2nd February !!!

So take your pick.

My tree and decs are down and although I love them the room looks so clean and calm now .

I'm surprised at the hastiness of some to get rid of the tree and all traces of Xmas

Mine will stay until 2 January when the GC leave - even if they weren't here I usually include New Year's Eve as part of festive season!

we always keep the 12 days and as hubby has, as usual, over catered we will be eating christmas food for weeks to come

I know of one mum who took everything away on Boxing Day. Too soon, I think. I'm going to do mine gradually. The cards today and any decs on surfaces. The tree on 1st Jan.

I take a fair bit of prodding to actually get around to putting decs up, but once it's all done, love it, and only take down reluctantly at 12th Night.?