If it glows in December, it’s doing its job. Whether it’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or simple white LED’s: Christmas decorations have a way of lifting spirits during the coldest days of the year. But once the festive season fades and the new year is in full swing, the age-old question remains: when is the right time to pack away the cheer?
For many people, including Violet King ’26, holiday decorating is closely tied to how family traditions evolve as children get older. Those changing perspectives often influence which decorations families choose to keep up — or quietly retire.
“My dad used to put blow up stuff in the front yard,” King said. “But he doesn’t anymore because he gets scared that we’re going to be embarrassed.”
Not every decoration is excessive; some even stay well beyond the holiday season. Ultimately, deciding what stays up is entirely a personal choice. For King, that distinction is easy to make.
“The trees are pretty with Christmas lights outside, but anything else like nutcrackers, those need to go away,” King said.
While opinions vary on what decorations to display, most people tend to follow a consistent schedule for putting them up. Science teacher Troy Hernandez is no exception, generally sticking to a routine when it comes to decorating each year.
“Normally I like to do it during the last week of November or the first week of December,” Hernandez said. “My wife and kids got me to put them up before Thanksgiving, which was a little early for me, but the weather was nicer, so that was better.”
Decorating often brings joy, but taking it down can feel like a chore. Timing matters a lot, so the right moment to pack it all up can change annually depending on a variety of factors.
“Ideally January after New Year’s, depending on the weather,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes we can get really cold weather [after Christmas], but occasionally we can get a day that’s like 40 [degrees].”
You never know with Michigan weather, sometimes there can be surprisingly warm days in the winter. This fluctuation can lead families to no longer follow a strict decorating schedule like Liam Loredo ’27.
“The latest they’ll be up for us is January, usually,” Loredo said. “Just because after that we forget to put them away, and then they just sit out.”
Some even wait until March to put them away, since they’re an easy task to push off. Clearly, opinions on holiday decorating vary widely, and there’s no single right way.
“I think you should let people celebrate however they want to,” King said.
