How Long Should Washington Keep Christmas Lights Up?

How long is too long to long when it comes to leaving your outside Christmas (or holiday) decorations up? We have some thoughts.

Christmas Lights in my Neighborhood.

I look at Christmas lights the same way I look at snow. Around and before Christmas, it’s great, seasonal, and beautiful. Once December 26th comes, I'm done with it (more snow than decorations, for obvious reasons).

As my wife and I were driving through our Yakima Valley neighborhood, she made the (not original) joke:

“Man, can you believe that? 360 days till Christmas, and the neighbors already have their lights out!”

The 5 Time Frames of ‘Decoration Teardown’

I’ve noticed 5 main groups of people when it comes to taking down holiday decorations.

1-Right Away: These are usually the people who put them up way over a month in advance. Once the day comes, they’re tired of looking at them, so they are ready to put them up for the year.

2-After The Next Holiday: these people leave them up for roughly a month or after the next major holiday. When it comes to Christmas lights, after New Year's, the following free weekend is when the stuff goes back into the shed.

3-Seasonal: While winter looms, and it’s darker longer, why not leave the lights on? As someone who has battled seasonal depression, I can appreciate these decorators.

4-Procrastinators: They’ll pull it down and put it away when they’re ready. And if it gets within 2 months of the holiday returning, boom! Ahead of the curve with decorating. I will admit, my father and I have fallen into this group with our single string of lights a few times over the years.

READ MORE: Yakima, WA Family Got Patriotic With Their Halloween Decorations

5-Holiday Adaptors: These people stay decorated all year, but adjust for the upcoming holidays. This group usually owns a few of the giant skeletons. Some may call them an eyesore; if it makes me laugh, then I’m appreciative.

How Long On Average Should You Leave Your House Decorated?

According to Google & AI, on average, people leave their decorations up for about 1 to 2 weeks after Christmas. For religious folks, many have chosen to leave their decorations up until after the Epiphany.

What about you? When should someone put away their outside holiday decorations? Tap the App and let us know your opinion.

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