BS: Christmas lights still up?

Subject: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 09:28 PM

It is almost three full weeks after Christmas and it is truly amazing how many houses still have their Christmas lights up. Now I can understand that when it is too cold to take them down or when perhaps illness can delay this chore, but what I don't get is why do they still get turned on blazing megawatts on the lawn.

Also, there are still trees (my next door neighbor included) who still has the lights on for their tree decorations. Is this some type of denial that the holiday season has come and gone. Is it some kind of comfort factor that one can't find elsewhere?

What's wrong with just pulling the plug? Focus on Valentine's Day or put up your Martin Luther King Day decorations or something.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 09:34 PM

I don't know where you live, MG, but here in Juneau, Alaska, where it's pretty dark these days- and nights- many people still have their outdoor lights on. Across the way, for instance, lives an Alaska Supreme Court justice- they always leave their lights up until at least February. This year, whether inadvertently or not, they strung the tiny golden lights across their garage and side of the house in the outline of a caribou. Kind of neat.

Since I don't put up any lights at all, I rather enjoy seeing what other people do.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: hobbitwoman
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 09:45 PM

I've often thought it would be nice if we all left our Christmas lights on until the days started getting longer anyway. Of course I didn't put any outdoor lights up this year, and I admit it does seem a bit strange to see Christmas lights turned on, these days. My dad used to leave his decorations up until the end of January, at which point he decorated for Valentine's day, then St. Patrick's, then Easter, the 4th of July.... after that he might've run out of things to decorate for until Halloween. At any rate, if you weren't careful and stood still too long you might find yourself wearing a string of lights or something. One year he had so many things plugged into so few outlets I was sure the place was going to go up in smoke. But he had fun.

Annie

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 10:29 PM

A friend of mine wrapped lights around and around the boles of the trees in her back yard a couple of years ago and decided that they looked so festive that she put up some more. When they entertain in the summer out back they turn on those lights. The rest of them come down after the holidays.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 10:38 PM

Don't put up outside lights...too much trubble, but my tree is finally downlll

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Tinker
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 10:46 PM

We've got lots of allergies in the family and therefore an artifical tree. It ( and the lights ) Go up on the 22 December (my bithday) and down on 22 January ( the Mr's birthday). Works for us.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 10:50 PM

I know a woman who keeps her Christmas tree (artificial) up year-round. But then again, she ain't exactly a paragon of mental health.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Amos
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 10:53 PM

All put away and wrapped up for next year.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 11:18 PM

In that order, Amos?

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Walking Eagle
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 11:18 PM

Figure I might leave mine up until Valentine Day as they are only single red electric candles in my windows.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Metchosin
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 12:56 AM

My tree's still up. It is loosing a few needles and consequently I haven't had the lights on, but otherwise it still looks good.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: SueB
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 01:20 AM

Chinese proverb say,

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: maire-aine
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 10:45 AM

I like it when people leave their lights on all during the winter. It is so dark and gloomy otherwise. I still have mine on the porch, and I still light them if I'm home.

The tree is another story. I hate taking down the tree-- not because I'm particularly sentimental, but because it's just such a pain to put everything away in their own little boxes. And it always seems like there is more to put away than what you took out. And I have things to do almost every night of the week, so who knows when I'll finish. Maybe I'll just throw a sheet over it and stick it back in the corner.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 10:48 AM

#1

it is not three weeks past Christmas - it is only 5 days past Christmas. Christmas does not end until January 6th. (or January 18th for some denominations!)


#2 - we (for example) do not decorate until Dec 24rth (or sometimes the 23rd) - Our tree is still up and will be until this weekend. We go one week past epiphany. okay - it's stretching the season a bit - but not much. (hey - not OUR fault people start the season three months early!!!!

Personally I much prefer seeing the decorations etc AFTER christmas rather then BEFORE.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Peace
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 10:49 AM

I've still gotta get the tree up. Soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Kim C
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:06 AM

We don't do any outside lights. I leave the tree up until at least January 7. I haven't taken it down yet on account I've been sick and didn't have the energy. Plan to do it in the next few days, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Peg
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:40 AM

I have a string of colored lights in one window, a string in my living room, and a long string of white lights through my hallway. I plan to leave them up indefinitely, and have been plugging them in every night. they are great ambient light, and   I keep one string on as a nightlight.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: greg stephens
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:50 AM

In our street(Stoke, England) people seem to stick to 12th night(Jan 6) as the day to get them down. Certainly there are no lights left up now. The town lights in the shopping centre havent been taken down yet, but they are not being turned on any more, I think they stopped them on the 6th too.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:52 AM

A merchant's association put fairy lights on the trees in their area one year. After a while, they left them up full time. Looks nice at night.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Kim C
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:57 AM

I do keep my little Chinese lantern lights up all year, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: CarolC
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 12:48 PM

Other than the ones on the tree (which has been put away), we didn't put any up this year. But if we had, we could keep them up all year without being cheezy in any partuclarly Christmassy sort of way because all of our lights look like chili peppers. We'll probably put them up from time to time when it gets warmer and we start having music around the chiminea fire outside.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 01:22 PM

Probably the last weekend for our tree. Even with its basin of water it's beginning to get dry. When the needles begin to drop, out it goes. But we find it really cheerful to look at in the evening when we're dealing with important things like Mudcat.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Raptor
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 01:43 PM

I used to think that anyone who leaves thier lights up after Jan 10 should be shot but given the general consencis here I'm gonna keep that opinion to myself and keep my pie-hole shut for a change.

Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 01:43 PM

A few years ago there was a letter in the local newspaper suggesting that folks leave their outside lights during the whole dark, cold season. Since then it seems that more people leave their lights on longer into the month.
I always take my Christmas decorations down and put everything away as close to Epiphany as I can, but I leave one string of lights around my sliding door and turn it on it every night until we're eating supper by daylight and the extra lights seem redundant- usually around the beginning of April, when we spring the clocks forward.
This year especially, I need all the light in my life I can find.

Allison

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Raptor
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 01:44 PM

Opps did I post that?

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Ebbie
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 04:01 PM

Ya did indeed, ya did.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 04:51 PM

We're usually late putting 'em up and late taking 'em down. It is definitely against our religion to close down any Christmas-related objects or functions on or before Jan 6, aka Little Christmas, aka Twelfth Night, aka Feast of the Epiphany, and most importantly aka as the first day of Carnival (Mardi Gras Season).

We got the tree un-decorated, taken down, and put out on the street as quickly as possible on the 7th. There is a tree-recycling program in our area; used Christmas trees are systematically placed in the Louisiana wetlands to prevent (well, to slow down or partially counteract, at least) coastal erosion. The truck that collects trees for this purpose visits each neighborhood one time only, and we don't want to miss it.

One nearby neighborhood has a Christmas-tree bonfire every year on New Year's Eve. Those folks obviously take their trees down a little earlier than most of the rest of us. The fire is located in the wide neutral ground (median strip? grassy area between lanes of the street) in front of an elementary school that our kids attended back in the 80s. For years, we saw the aftermath (charred grass, etc.) on the first day of school after Christmas, but never saw the fire itself. This year, my wife got to witness it for the first time while I was home nursing a cold and keeping daughter and granddaughter company. She reports that it was quite a sight to see, accompanied by tons of fireworks.

Our modest outdoor decoration -- a string of white lights around thge upper half of oure front door -- is still up. Might stay there for a while.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: GUEST,si
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 06:19 PM

In UK it is a very much twelth night thing then.......but all of you in dark places have the right idea, hell leave them up and make the world a twinkly place.

Ours are still entwined around a six foot tall stick thingy, but not switched on. Will get around to it eventually.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: hobbitwoman
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 09:34 PM

Guest, si, wrote: "leave them up and make the world a twinkly place."

I like that! Well said!

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 07:31 PM

Of course, you still have until Candlemass to take them down - Feb 2nd. Also called Groundhog day. It's the official end of Christmas in the Liturgical calendar.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Dani
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 09:34 PM

Yup. Still up. And usually each year we decide we like them someplace so much that we leave 'em there. Usually inside, sometimes outside.

What the hell.

Dani

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 05:59 AM

I've still got to take down the lights in the tree in the front garden and the ones along the eves of the house, but they've been diconnected since 12th night. Mind you we've still got the gazebos attached to the back of the house from last summer's barbecues . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Jeanie
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 06:32 AM

At my daughter's suggestion, I went "All Traditional" this year: no electric lights. Instead of tree and decorations, one giant candle in front of the fireplace in a lovely candle holder I have (metal base with animals running around it nose to tail and a big glass shade) and put huge bunches of holly, evergreens and mistletoe around it. That stayed there from solstice to 6th January. My daughter and I both agreed it was a lovely way to decorate and we are going to carry on with it, and with lighting the candle, for the whole year round, with different seasonal decorations. At the moment, I have made a ring of pussy willow tied up with white ribbon, to go around the candle, with a pot of spring bulbs, just starting to show colour, next to it.

I saw this idea of a continuous seasonal decoration suggested once in a Rudolf Steiner book: a lovely way to celebrate all the changing seasons.

- jeanie

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas lights still up?
From: Peg
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 11:32 AM

nice ideas Jeanie! I must try things   like that    next year. I did have a couple of table centerpieces with chrome reindeer holders and candles and evergreen and antlers...but I like t he   idea of the   pussywillows and spring   bulbs too...