Your Holiday Decorations Are Still Up and That’s OK
On a run yesterday I passed a neighbor’s house that not only had their holiday decorations and Christmas lights still hanging from the soffits, eaves, and gutters of their home, but the lights were also lit. My first thought was “It’s mid-January!” However, I gave it more thought as I continued my trek and came to the conclusion that I really don’t have a problem with that.
The Epiphany aka Little Christmas on January 6th has come and gone. This time of year in New Jersey, we have that depressing chore of de-Christmasing our homes. This includes packing away the Christmas tree, but if you haven’t done so already, don’t.
If you want to keep your sanity and reduce stress, I recommend that you consider keeping your tree set up for as long as possible. I have a cousin and a couple of friends who never take down their trees. Of course, it must be an artificial tree. They’ll redecorate it with different ornaments for each holiday like Valentine’s Day and Easter to keep their house festive all the time.
Holiday Decorations Not Just for Fanatics
There is a good reason for keeping the spirit going much longer than traditionally expected. This isn’t just a few stray crazy Christmas zealots. There are many folks following this trend including professional home decorators. They are resisting the way it’s always been done and choosing to never take down their trees.
WSJ.com cites decorator Cynthia Chamble who says “There’s always something to celebrate,” and spends hundreds keeping her tree looking festive through every holiday and season.” It can include themes for summer or have historical figures to commemorate Black History Month.
Some people use it as a way to memorialize a late family member around their birthday or the anniversary of their death. I’m not sure I’d be going that route, but I certainly am not going to judge something that makes someone happy.
If you try it you may find that it will help keep you in a positive and happy mood. Either way, it’s worth a try. My wife and I (mostly my wife) decided that we were giving it a shot. We have two trees and will only keep the smaller one up to see if we like it.
I think it’s worth repeating that if you’re going to try it to avoid the yearly chore, it must be an artificial tree. That positive mood-boosting effect will be reversed when your real tree dies and becomes a fire hazard.
I know that a lot of people are totally against this, but I respectfully disagree. I salute my neighbor who is still turning on those Christmas lights every night. However, you’ve got to put away those inflatable holiday decorations and other tacky lawn ornamentation.