Why do people do that??

Is it just me, or does anyone else get really irked when people just toss out their Christmas trees on Christmas day?! Or even the day after Christmas?

What's the point???

No sooner did I bring up this subject today, and lo and behold, one of my neighbor's trees is already on the front lawn along with a pile of trash.

As my 15 year old son said. . . . "Isn't Christmas stressful enough without having to take down all the decorations on the same day?"

Grrrrrrrr.

And why is it that radio stations start playing non-stop Christmas music on Thanksgiving Eve. . . . . and it all comes to a screeching halt Christmas night? No wonder people have the post holiday blues. It's all we eat, breath and sleep for 2 months straight and then Zip Zap, it's all over in 5 minutes.

I say leave the tree up till after New Year's (so long as it's not a fire hazard). . . . and keep on playing the Christmas songs!!!!!

Yes it bothers me too. t hey could use the tree for the birds in the back yard for awhile. The birds love it for shelter.

Irritates me, too. Especially when you consider that Christmas is not just one day -- The Twelve Days of Christmas didn't just drop out of nowhere. My decorations stay up until Epiphany -- the twelfth day. Then they come down.

Of course, it also irritates the **** out of me that they start so early with the music (often the tackiest examples thereof, too) and the store decorations and whatnot. I mean, please, couldn't we wait until Advent?

But, of course, what I'm bellyaching about are the strictly commercial aspects of the holiday and the spill-over of that into the secular cultural side. To those for whom the religious aspects of the holiday do not have meaning, there would be no reason to tie beginning the count-down to Advent, or the end to Epiphany.

Does seem a shame, though, to go through all the frenzy of preparation and then, not have a few days to savour the loveliness in relative peace...oh, well, to each his own, I guess...

Its the same with every holiday. When I went shopping, yesterday, they were putting out the Valentine's day stuff. Good grief, couldn't they have waited until after New Year's.

I'll probably take down the tree and outside lights, next week.

Originally posted by rapunzel47

that they start so early with the music (often the tackiest examples thereof, too) and the store decorations and whatnot. I mean, please, couldn't we wait until Advent?

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One of the drug stores in my town had some really tacky Christmas decorations out on the store shelves in September, and for awhile, they were in the same aisle as the Halloween candy. It looked absolutely stupid, so what is the point?

Then about two weeks before Christmas, they finally put the really good gift items out on the shelves.

Ok, I know this is wierd, but I feel sorry for the trees that are thrown out after Christmas. It's like: they are used and thrown to the curb. I always think of the trees as living things that were once cared for and loved and then tossed. Ya, I am strange.

Originally posted by Coco Maui
Ok, I know this is wierd, but I feel sorry for the trees that are thrown out after Christmas. It's like: they are used and thrown to the curb. I always think of the trees as living things that were once cared for and loved and then tossed. Ya, I am strange.

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You're not strange at all! If you are, then I am as well!
Probably why it bothers me so much to see trees taken down so soon.

I prefer real trees to artificial. . . . but it is ashamed to take a living thing. . . . cut it down, use it for a few weeks and then throw it away when the holiday isn't even over yet.

It reminds me of a book I used to read to my children. I don't recall the title. . . . about a tree that wanted to be picked for Christmas.

Originally posted by George'smom
I prefer real trees to artificial. . . . but it is ashamed to take a living thing. . . . cut it down, use it for a few weeks and then throw it away when the holiday isn't even over yet.

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Exactly!!

I only have an artifial tree because of the needles etc. I cant see the point of taking the decorations down so soon (either Chrsitmas day or Boxing day) mine comes down new years eve - got that from my mum - so I dont see the new year in with the old years stuff.

I often keep mine up until New Years, but this year I am taking it down this Sunday (would be Saturday, but we're going out for the whole day). I usually try to put it up the week before Christmas, but with in-laws arriving and the actual day being near the end of the week, I ended up putting it up on the 13th, so it's been inside for 2 weeks now. Plus, we made the mistake of putting it a little too close to the heating vent, and we have 4 mischevious cats, so it's losing its needles like mad, looks distinctly bald on the bottom and has almost stopped drinking entirely.

All that adds up to - it's out ASAP. It will live in the backyard until the municipality takes it for mulching mid-January.

Originally posted by George'smom
It reminds me of a book I used to read to my children. I don't recall the title. . . . about a tree that wanted to be picked for Christmas.

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The book is "The Smallest Christmas Tree", by Peggy Blakeley. It's a beautiful story. I have the book at home, and it's still one of my all-time favourites.
We have another book called "The Christmas Day Kitten" by James Herriot, and it's another family classic. It's a sad story because it talks about a woman that looks after a stray cat, who shows up on Christmas day, carrying a kitten. Long story short, the mother cat dies, and the woman "adopts" the kitten. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. Makes me cry every time I read it...

I tossed my tree out today

I have just cause though- it was dead and falling apart. We got it around the middle of November, and I was tired of the mess.

Next year will be my first year with no real tree. I plan to pick up a nice big artificial one during the post holiday sales. Its a bit hypocritical of me to follow a nature worshipping path, and then chop down a tree to decorate my home even though the idea of having a tree in the home came from pagan tradition. It was believed the wood spirits needed a warm place to sleep in the winter and a tree was brought inside for them, and decorated with bells so it would be clear when the spirits were around.

I love the idea of having a potted tree though- then planting it outside. I've never seen any around here though.

For the last few years, we've had an artificial tree, and it does the job just as well as a real tree. Though I do miss the smell of a real pine (?) tree. We took our tree down yesterday, because the bleepin' cats kept trying to climb it and knock decorations down! We had to put the tree in our guest room last year, but it seemed quite silly to have to go "visit" the tree! I'm wondering why our 2 cats can't leave our tree alone, and my father's cat doesn't even touch their tree, which is real, and dripping with garlands, ribbons, glass decorations and such... go figure!

I was just wondering...

We have Christmas untill January 6th, that´s the 13th day of Christmas, and after that people start taking down their tree and decorations. I never take mine down untill the next weekend after that or even on the middle of January. The lights outside usually stay at least throughout january, even the ones on the trees that the city decorates. Lights in the windows also stay longer, as the outside decorations. January is just such a long, dark month, and all the lights that were put up to be Christmas lights, just change to January lights

Ones I visited the US over Christmas, and flew out on Christmas day. Christmas was just startin here, but in the line at the airport in New Yours, people were allready asking "how was your Christmas" as Christmas was allready over. I found that kinda strange.
Also when I was an Au-Pair there a hundred years ago, I had time off over Christmas and came pack on New Years day, and by that time, there was no sign of Christmas where I lived, the tree was gone and all the decoration, just the grey everyday was back! That was kinda strange too...

Originally posted by Pollyanna
I was just wondering...

We have Christmas untill January 6th, that´s the 13th day of Christmas, and after that people start taking down their tree and decorations. I never take mine down untill the next weekend after that or even on the middle of January. The lights outside usually stay at least throughout january, even the ones on the trees that the city decorates. Lights in the windows also stay longer, as the outside decorations. January is just such a long, dark month, and all the lights that were put up to be Christmas lights, just change to January lights

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Most people wait until New Year's to take down their trees and decorations. . . . some take them down on Christmas day, which I find strange. . . and others leave them up longer. It all depends on the individual.

As for the commercial world (retail stores) . . . . the Christmas things start going up right around Halloween. . . . and come down the day after Christmas. Heck, I was out looking for After Christmas bargains yesterday and found many stores with Valentine's things out and some summer things!!! Grrrr!

Originally posted by thh20
We have another book called "The Christmas Day Kitten" by James Herriot, and it's another family classic. It's a sad story because it talks about a woman that looks after a stray cat, who shows up on Christmas day, carrying a kitten. Long story short, the mother cat dies, and the woman "adopts" the kitten. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. Makes me cry every time I read it...

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I love that story, too. One thing I might point out - many people will be away on skiing vacations or visiting friends or relatives next week, which might be why they're throwing their Christmas trees out now.

I hadn´t opened this thread yet, I guess you were wondering the same as I was

I have been twice in the US over Christmas and found that very strange that the trees were outside right after Christmas day, even with all the decoration on!

Originally posted by George'smom
As for the commercial world (retail stores) . . . . the Christmas things start going up right around Halloween. . . . and come down the day after Christmas. Heck, I was out looking for After Christmas bargains yesterday and found many stores with Valentine's things out and some summer things!!! Grrrr!

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The shops here take the decoration down on jan. 7th, the day after our Christmas finish.

OMG, I think that is a bit early for Valentines and summer stuff!

Mine is still up.

Goes up Thanksgiving and comes down New Year's (although this year I may take it down earlier since I'm working the swing shift).

I saw the Valentine's Day stuff too! ARGHHHH!!

Give us a break people!

My tree (artificial) came down on boxing day, I would have left it until new year but Jeepers wouldn't leave it alone! Hopefully next year she won't be as interested in it!