When to put up and take down your Christmas decorations

Last updated: 12 November 2026

Every year the same two questions come round: is it too early to put the tree up, and when does it all have to come down? The honest answer is that these are traditions, not rules, and the traditions have changed over the centuries. This guide sets out the traditional dates, explains why Twelfth Night is argued over, and finishes with practical advice on packing everything away.

When to put decorations up

The Church of England describes Advent as the season of four Sundays before Christmas Day. Advent Sunday, the first of them, is the earliest traditional starting point for decorating. It always falls between 27 November and 3 December.

Other common choices are 1 December, when most advent calendars begin, and the first weekend of December, simply because there is time to do the job properly. If you like to be organised earlier still, Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent and the traditional day for making the Christmas pudding, is a good moment to bring the boxes out and check what needs replacing.

The one practical limit applies to real trees. The British Christmas Tree Growers Association says a well looked after tree should last up to four weeks, and London Fire Brigade warns that a real tree remains relatively safe for about two weeks, after which it is likely to become more flammable. An artificial tree has no such limit, which is one reason people who decorate early often choose one.

The dates for 2026 and 2027

Advent Sunday is the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and Stir-up Sunday is the Sunday before it; the other dates are fixed. Our Christmas countdown page keeps a fuller list of key dates.

Twelfth Night: 5 January or 6 January?

The Church of England explains that the season of Christmas lasts for twelve days, culminating in the feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. Twelfth Night marks the end of those twelve days, and the disagreement is about where the counting starts.

• Count Christmas Day as the first day and the twelfth day is 5 January. On this reckoning Twelfth Night is the evening of 5 January, the eve of Epiphany. The National Trust, for example, describes the season ending with feasting and revels on the 5th of January, the eve of Epiphany in the Christian calendar.
• Count from Boxing Day and the twelfth day is 6 January, Epiphany itself. English Heritage, for instance, places Twelfth Night around 6 January.

Either way the practical difference is one day. If you want to follow the custom and avoid the argument, take the decorations down on 5 January.

Is it bad luck to leave them up?

The belief that decorations left up after Twelfth Night bring bad luck is widely repeated, but it is not as old as it sounds. English Heritage notes that Candlemas, on 2 February, was observed as the official end of Christmas in medieval England, and that keeping decorations up until then was normal practice. Its senior properties historian, Dr Michael Carter, has called the idea that it is unlucky to keep decorations up after Twelfth Night a modern invention.

So there are three defensible answers: 5 January, 6 January or 2 February. None of them is wrong. Plenty of households simply choose the last weekend before work and school start again.

Taking the decorations down

A little care in January saves money and temper next winter.

1. Lights first. Switch off and unplug them before you touch anything else. Check each set as you take it down and put aside any with damaged cable or failed lamps.
2. Baubles next. Wrap glass baubles one at a time in tissue paper and store them in a box with dividers. Keep sets and colours together so that next year's tree is easy to plan.
3. Greenery and soft things. Shake out artificial wreaths and garlands and store them flat or hanging so that they keep their shape. Make sure stockings, cushions and tree skirts are clean and completely dry before they are packed.
4. The tree last. Take an artificial tree apart in sections, fold the branches gently upwards and put it in its box or a storage bag.
5. Label everything. Write the room and the contents on each box.

Where to store it all

Electrical Safety First advises against storing Christmas lights in damp or excessively hot or cold conditions, and suggests keeping the original packaging to store them in. The same goes for most decorations: a dry cupboard is kinder than a damp shed. Coil lights loosely instead of winding them tightly round your hand, which strains the cable.

What to recycle

Recycle Now advises taking all decorations, pots and stands off a real tree before recycling it; many councils run collections or drop-off points in early January, and the trees are shredded into chippings. Fairy lights that no longer work count as small electrical items: take them to a recycling centre and do not put them in the household recycling bin. Cards and wrapping paper are covered in our guide to recycling wrapping paper.

A note for next year

Before the last box goes away, write down what ran short: spare lamps, hooks, a longer set of lights for the banister, a storage bag for the tree. Our guide to Christmas lights safety explains what to check on older sets, and the Christmas tree calculator works out quantities if the tree is changing size. The shop is open all year, and our Delivery page explains how long orders take.

Sources

• Church of England: What is Advent and Christmas?
• English Heritage: Why you should leave up your Christmas decorations until February
• National Trust: Wassailing – ritual and revelry
• Historic UK: Stir-up Sunday
• British Christmas Tree Growers Association: How to care for your tree
• London Fire Brigade: Christmas trees
• Electrical Safety First: Christmas lights
• Recycle Now: Christmas trees
• Recycle Now: Christmas tree lights