Pass the mince pies- Christmas Chat Thread Part Deux

matchthis

My first house, I was living alone and had them up from November 1st till end of Jan. My birthday is at the end of Jan so didn’t have anyone tell me I couldn’t. Was always colder with a bit of snow towards the end of January so still felt Christmasy in my books. Wasn’t a lot of decorations, was mainly a tree and a few small bits as I was only starting my journey. Just love the reflection of the twinkling tree lights in the tv

DvB

Funnily enough when I first moved out and lived by myself for a few years I used to only put a tree up and no other decorations and tended to put it up much later at about 7-10 days before Christmas depending on how the weekends fell.

Pretty sure i still took it down every new years day though. The first year I kept it up until after the 6th and it felt like I was dragging it out for the sake of it so my new years day tradition has pretty much formed from that first year.

L1011

Really having trouble deciding whether to change the 9 AA batteries in the now extremely dim lights to get the two days that are left

Loughc

L1011 wrote: »

Really having trouble deciding whether to change the 9 AA batteries in the now extremely dim lights to get the two days that are left

I wouldn’t at this stage. Just take them out when packing them away and put fresh ones in for Christmas 2020.

kitten_k

Took mine down today as back to work on Monday

House looks so bare without them

Loughc

kitten_k wrote: »

Took mine down today as back to work on Monday

House looks so bare without them

Dreading taking mine down tomorrow

Love the glow from it.

As for work Kitten_k it’ll be fine. I promise

kitten_k

Loughc wrote: »

Dreading taking mine down tomorrow

Love the glow from it.

As for work Kitten_k it’ll be fine. I promise

Was gonna take them down tomorrow but decided I didn’t want to spend my last day off cleaning.

Ah work should be grand. Out on a client engagement from Wednesday for two weeks. Will be a nice change in pace compared to the last few hectic months!

Another added bonus is that the client emailed just before Christmas to say they have moved from Malahide to Baggot St

RentDayBlues

Took all mine down today, all put away, Christmas duvets changed and house cleaned top to bottom! Only took 9 hours!

And although the house looks bare, it’s clean and oh so tidy!

kitten_k

RentDayBlues wrote: »

Took all mine down today, all put away, Christmas duvets changed and house cleaned top to bottom! Only took 9 hours!

And although the house looks bare, it’s clean and oh so tidy!

Sounds like my day! Finished off with a nice Dominos. Watching The Greatest Dancer now.

New Home

Just a suggestion, just so people don't have to give up the decorations cold turkey: keep the fairy lights in a glass vase for a while. If anyone asks, it's to counteract the glare off the telly.

Seamai

We'd usually take our decorations down the weekend after the 6th, I work with an older woman who takes hers down before the 6th her reasoning being that it's bad luck for the three wise men to see them, not sure where she heard that, I've never heard anything like that, but then again she's quite anal and she puts them up in mid November so she's probably sick to the back teeth from looking at them.

Loughc

kitten_k wrote: »

Sounds like my day! Finished off with a nice Dominos. Watching The Greatest Dancer now.

I love the Greatest Dancer. Great show. And dominos great shout.

freshpopcorn

I was always under the impression that decorations were left up until the 6th of January and they were taken down on the 6th or 7th of January depending on how you looked at it.
I know local towns stay lit up until the 6th and are switched off on the 7th.
I'm a firm believer in sticking to the 6th or 7th because it will continue to get earlier and earlier if it becomes the norm to take down decorations soon after Christmas.

DvB

Not a single house on our road still has external decorations up, didn't spot any trees either.

As I've said many times we stick to NYD for taking them down but used to be on our own in doing so on our street with many still proudly on display until jan 6th, but have noticed many take them down earlier and earlier each year now. This year definitely the earliest for the full street.

We did notice a lot less external lights this year too though. Many houses that used to have them didnt bother this year.

freshpopcorn

Locally most people are still decorated inside and outside.

Loughc

A lot of people still decorated here externally and internally too. Definitely more decorations up and around this year versus last year too. They are getting put up earlier and taken down earlier each year tho.

One girl I know had hers up Nov 1st but took them down Dec 28th. The 28th was a waste.

I’m happy my tradition of last Friday in November until the weekend closest to the 6th of Jan. I would love to leave them up to the 6th. But if it falls on a weeknight I genuinely wouldn’t have time to get everything away. The tree is a beast. Harder to put away than put up.

Heroditas

We took everything down yesterday and today bar the tree. Still have the lights on tonight but it'll be gone in the morning.
Yes the house looks bare but it looks bigger too so that's the positive I take from it!
Still tonnes of light and decorations up in the neighbourhood but that's because it's an older locality and people tend to put them up later and take them down on the 6th/7th which is how I remember it when I was growing up. Nowadays people seem to decorate to celebrate the lead-up to Christmas and once it arrives, the bubble is burst and they want to take them down ASAP. For example, in England the traditional was to only put up the decorations on Christmas Eve and then take them down on the 6th.
Of course, it's all very different nowadays and whatever works for people is cool. Personally I like them up at the start of December and down a few days after New Year's. What really bugs me is all the Christmas TV music stations disappearing almost as son as the 25th arrives. People seem to have totally glossed over the period between the 25th and the 1st. For me it's the best part of the whole season for me anyway. A time for hibernation, good food, family time and reflection (in between stopping the kids tearing lumps out of each other of course).

Caranica

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I was always under the impression that decorations were left up until the 6th of January and they were taken down on the 6th or 7th of January depending on how you looked at it.
I know local towns stay lit up until the 6th and are switched off on the 7th.
I'm a firm believer in sticking to the 6th or 7th because it will continue to get earlier and earlier if it becomes the norm to take down decorations soon after Christmas.

Never before the 7th here. Nollaig na mBan is one of the most important days of Christmas. Tree lights off at midnight then a solitary decoration removed and everything down on the 7th. I hate seeing photos on social media of people taking trees down early, especially before New Year!

DvB

Heroditas wrote: »

Nowadays people seem to decorate to celebrate the lead-up to Christmas and once it arrives, the bubble is burst and they want to take them down ASAP. For example, in England the traditional was to only put up the decorations on Christmas Eve and then take them down on the 6th.
Of course, it's all very different nowadays and whatever works for people is cool. Personally I like them up at the start of December and down a few days after New Year's. What really bugs me is all the Christmas TV music stations disappearing almost as son as the 25th arrives. People seem to have totally glossed over the period between the 25th and the 1st. For me it's the best part of the whole season for me anyway. A time for hibernation, good food, family time and reflection (in between stopping the kids tearing lumps out of each other of course).

This 100%.
Pretty sure I've said the same things in the past more than once on here.

Posy

Most houses around my way are still decorated today.
I think I'll take most of mine down gradually throughout the week, so it's not too much of a shock!

I've taken down most of the small bits and pieces I have about the house.

I always leave my tree up and lit for the full 12 days of Christmas, so will still get Sunday and Monday out of it.

iguana

We just had our special twelfthnight breakfast this morning. And I'm relaxing for a short while before I start to undecorate. I'd normally leave it all until Tuesday but I'm so busy during the week now that if I don't get it down today, it will be next weekend before I get a chance and we have birthday party invites for Saturday and Sunday. And at a bare minimum the porch needs to be completely undone as I leave the dog there in the morning while he waits for his lift to dog-park and I wouldn't trust him not to destroy everything in a mad flap if a cat walks across the front garden!!!

I think we'll be having a bit of a celebratory dinner at my parents' house today as my mum never did have her Christmas dinner, so I think we'll be doing crackers, a few games, etc. So that will be a nice round off of Christmas.

Littlehorny

Same as yourself Iguana, I am going to my mother's for some dinner and she wasn't well over the Christmas also.

Have all the decorations down now bar the tree which we will leave up till tomorrow evening at least, I know this is a very positive place to be and I'm not trying to bring anyone down but with the tree almost down and work back in full swing is anyone else starting to feel that January blues vibe?

Loughc

Littlehorny wrote: »

Same as yourself Iguana, I am going to my mother's for some dinner and she wasn't well over the Christmas also.

Have all the decorations down now bar the tree which we will leave up till tomorrow evening at least, I know this is a very positive place to be and I'm not trying to bring anyone down but with the tree almost down and work back in full swing is anyone else starting to feel that January blues vibe?

No need to be sorry I always get the January blues. They always peak on the day the tree comes down. We have a whole thread dedicated to it. I’ll bump the thread in a bit I’ve a different outlook this year than I’m hoping will combat the January blues.

iguana

I honestly find that my post Christmas blues get a bit better once I have the decorations down and am back in the swing of regular life. It's that last bit of Christmas where I'm still seeing all the reminders of the anticipation and fun, while knowing that I have the massive job of packing it all away ahead of me that I find the hardest. Once the house is cleared up and regular life has resumed I don't miss Christmas as much. And hopefully this one is a quick January, not like the one two(?) years ago that lasted about 5 years.

Jude13

We got the decorations down in good time over the weekend. The house looks so much cleaner. We also did a kind of stock take on what we have and are adamant that we will not buy any more decorations next year to avoid any waste.

Trying to do a month long challenge this month which is going well 5 days in but we will see how the month goes. I have eaten all the pork products and most of the Christmas cheese. I think Christmas, as Santa isnt a thing at the moment, is mostly about food (not counting family) over presents.

I was feeling that the novelty of Christmas FM has worn a bit until I pondered what I would do without it.

Heroditas

Tree taken down this morning and everything is now packed away bar the last bits of clothes in the tumble dryer.
We're out at a friend's house for lunch today and then home for the last of the M&S party food and let the kids watch the start of Dancing With the Stars.
Back to work tomorrow after being off since the 19th but I've been logging on to do an assignment the last few evenings so I know what's waiting for me tomorrow (absolutely nothing by the looks of it!).
Looking forward to a few weeks of less wine, beer, crisps, nuts, biscuits etc. The body can't take it anymore!

Loughc

Heroditas wrote: »

Back to work tomorrow after being off since the 19th but I've been logging on to do an assignment the last few evenings so I know what's waiting for me tomorrow (absolutely nothing by the looks of it!).
Looking forward to a few weeks of less wine, beer, crisps, nuts, biscuits etc. The body can't take it anymore!

The logging on and seeing what’s awaiting you is key. That kills the fear of the unknown straight away.

I hear you about the wine, beer, crisps, nuts and biscuit situation. I’m enjoying the breather from them. Managed to get 11k steps in yesterday too. Nice to feel active and not lazy and sluggish.

But remember it’s nice to give yourself a rest and enjoy being lazy too.

Loughc

iguana wrote: »

I honestly find that my post Christmas blues get a bit better once I have the decorations down and am back in the swing of regular life. It's that last bit of Christmas where I'm still seeing all the reminders of the anticipation and fun, while knowing that I have the massive job of packing it all away ahead of me that I find the hardest.

Same my January blues peak at taking the tree down. Being that close up to the tree reminds me of fond memories of all past christmases. And with each passing year those memories become more profound and impactful.

Cork Lass

My husband really doesn’t like January at all so a number of years ago we decided that we would just get token gifts for each other for under the tree and then have a holiday in January instead. We’ve been doing this for about 8 years now and it really takes the sting out.

DvB

I don't think its uncommon for folk like ourselves (Christmas nuts) to suffer post Christmas/January blues. Some years I've gotten it bad & it took me months to cop on & snap out of it & stop looking back. I do think looking forward to something helps massively as does getting back into a routine & I find forcing myself to be more active is a huge help too. Last year I managed to pretty much avoid getting really down and suspect I'll manage it this year as for some reason I'm a bit Christmassed out this time, having been off work for 2 full weeks the break seemed especially long and I'm kinda done with Christmas for a bit, normally i'd be sentimental but not this year, maybe it was all the work involved in hosting this year that has affected my outlook but either way i'm all set to embrace the new year & am really looking forward to spring & summer now. I just hope my plans to deal with work stress survive contact with the enemy LOL.