Post Christmas clear up

decorations go up on the sunday around 12 december and stay up until 12th night - and, on odd occasions, have been up past that time [no bad luck happened on those occasions either].
love the decorations and hate the way the house looks bare and empty when they're taken down.
still got a pile of presents under the tree for my son, daughter in law and family when they come up tomorrow and another present for my friend when she comes on new year's eve.
so GOT to have the tree up for then!

No decs went up, so no clearing away. Cards are just about hanging on, I did take them off mantle/shelves yesterday to dust and was seriously tempted to bin them but new OH would moan, so a couple days reprieve.
Just used the last of the turkey, put some of the cheeses into the freezer, and only a few bits left in fridge. Going to have bubble & squeak for tonights meal so that'll be the end of veggies.
Just a piece of ham to try and find some use for, baked it this year and not enjoyed it so much.

Not a bauble, light, Santa or angel will come down here till 6 January (and even then I always leave a snow globe/light or two up year round). January is dark and dreary enough without taking all the twinkly things out of the equation . I don't normally put the decorations up until a week or two before Christmas, but they went up early this year for a family party on the 8th. I must admit the holly and ivy are looking a bit limp and sad, but they're up for the duration as well. I love Christmas, hate it when it ends.

Always leave at least the wreath up until 12th Night- usually decs come down a day or 2 before but I don't put them up too early either.

Made 4 turkey & ham etc pies this afternoon for freezer & a stilton & walnut quiche.Made the soup yesterday & I have 4 large pots of stock too. I love the leftovers- this year's turkey was the best I have ever tasted thanks to our lovely butcher.

I can happily live off the remains of the cheese boards & sausage rolls until the New Year personally- well that & a few chocolates & the alcohol!!

I'm with you Teatime, can't wait to get all the Christmas clutter stowed away for another year and all the rich food leftovers are gone. Nice to get back to normality!

Teetime, phew thank goodness, I'm not the only one! All the decs came down yesterday, love getting house back to normal. Can't wait now for all the food to be eaten up, just the way I am

My decs come down when the last of the family have gone home -usually around d
28th Dec after a big family birthday party for one of the grandsons. Two Christmas trees are now outside after a good water and I can see a few bulb shoots sprouting in the garden ROLL ON SPRING!

What few tasteful decs I have have been removed today, apart from the cards. No one will be coming to see them so there's not much point really.
I've portioned up in foil, all the left over beef and lamb and put it in the freezer, and gave the chicken to my dd, along with other goodies.
All the cheeses are in the freezer too. I could have spent a lot less money and still have had plenty of food.

radicalgran i heard it was to be a Friday possibly leading into the Saturday [chsmile]

Teddy123 this is how to avoid having to decorate the tree next year.

Our decorations (much more restrained this year) go up on Christmas Eve and usually stay up until 2 Feb - Candlemas Day as in medieval times. But the tree goes out by 12th night as it is getting bald by then and quite honestly it gets in the way. Christmas cards are blue-tacked to the banisters so they do not clutter up surfaces or fall over. Sadly three of my six ancient Ikea strings of stars did not light up this year so no Ikea stars at the window but there are two strands of other lights coming down from a large star. There is a string of lights in the storm porch - all staying until 2 Feb.

Decorations went up 1st Dec as I was going to visit my DM for a week on 5th. Every-one else round here puts theirs up early. 2nd Jan tree will come down & cards, wreaths may stay on doors until 12th night. I have an Appointment on 3rd so Christmas is over

DD usually puts her's up on 1st Dec but they come down on Boxing Day

I feel that Christmas belongs at the end of the year, not at the beginning, so all our decorations etc are always down and put back in the loft by 30th December. I also get rid of any lefttover "Christmas food" - either in the bin, or taken to the "food table" at work, before 1st January
Then I feel clear to move into the new year

My decorations went up on the 27th November. According to my diary that was the first day of advent and, I cling to the belief that if it's good enough for the church it's good enough for me. I will take mine down this Friday/Saturday. I don't like to get up on new year's day and see them still there. My diet will start when the last of the sweets have been devoured and I have just made a lovely pot of stew which will do me for the next couple of days. I do wish everyone a happy and healthy new year

Usually 12th night is the end of Christmas here but thinking of extending to Candlemas ?this year. Just been reading about all the bank holidays that used to be celebrated before 1832 and thinking of observing all of them this year! We're retired so why not?

Last year, my husband and I decided not to put any decorations up as all our family were scattered far and wide, holidays / visiting inlaws, etc. We didn't mind as we know our 3 sons are happy and living their lives their own way with their own families.
However, a very strange thing happened; because we hadn't put any decs up, there was nothing to mark the end of the Christmas period. I found that I still had my Christmas head on in the middle of January and beyond.
Needless to say we definitely got our decs out this year so that we can mentally mark when it's over. As it happens, our sons visited this year over the Christmas period but even if they hadn't, we had decided they were going up anyway. Life is full of little surprises .

DH insists decorations come down on 12th night. One year we forgot to take down a garland in the hall so it had to stay up all year lol.

Ours will stay up till 12th night, and just beyond because that's a Friday night and we are invited out, so I shall take them down and clear up on the Saturday morning. But with the littl'uns here for most of the time over Christmas, I've been cleaning the whole downstairs practically every day after dinner.

Christmas decorations went up on 24th, replacing the Advent decorations.

Decorations still up but I'm edging to take them down. DD2 took her tree down on Christmas Day because there was no room to move once Santa had been. Mind you they live in a very small house and have three children so Santa brought a lot of big stuff.

I took a few more things down today so its only the tree and the few bits and bobs on the mantlepiece remaining DH has promised to get it all down on Sunday morning. I bought a turkey which is in the freezer as we were away on Christmas Day - I wonder if I can persuade him we should have that at Easter and have a nice piece of beef on Sunday.

Agree with you Penstemon, people putting up the decorations and tree so early in Dec means they're fed up with it by Boxing Day. Much better to wait until nearer Christmas and enjoy the real spirit of the season.

I can't wait to take our decorations down but DH will not Do it until after New Year's Day. We put them up a week before Christmas. Personally I don't want to share my living room with the overlarge Christmas tree a minute longer and have told DH that next year it will be relegated to the conservatory. I cleared the fridge of all the left overs this morning, and DH, having binned a mountain of uneaten trifle, rinsed my precious trifle bowl out under the (very) hot tap and cracked it. It was my mother's . "I didn't realise that would happen!" he said. "Well that's because you're a complete idiot!" I didn't say, but wanted to.

I will make a slow beginning today as that way I can cope without exhaustion. So the cards will come down, then the decorations will go a little a day. The tree will stay until 12th night as I love the lights. It's a slow process but an easy one.

Tree and cards will come down on 2 Jan. The lights that bestrew the coving around the room will remain. On horridly dark days they provide a bit of prettiness which makes me feel better.

Our decorations went up on the 7th, far earlier than usual, but we had family from afar visiting on the 8th. Tree still fine, but then we were away for a week over Christmas with heating on very low. Decs will stay up till the 6th - January is miserable enough anyway IMO.
Have returned from large family house party in Devon with so much leftover food, we'll be eating it for ages. Turkey carcass is sitting in fridge waiting to be stripped and made into stock/stew tomorrow.
We usually go 'on frugals' , as my mother used to put it, after Christmas, which means eating up everything in the fridge, and not buying anything that isn't strictly necessary. Which is fine by me, since the last thing I want to do for the next few days is go shopping for anything AT ALL.