When to put up & take down your christmas decorations

There’s a certain magic that comes with decorating your home ahead of Christmas. It’s symbolic of togetherness and hope, and provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on the joys and blessings you’ve experienced over the last year.

As the seasons shift and the weather gets cooler, you might wonder when to put up your Christmas decorations. How early is too early, and when’s the right time to take your decorations down?

In this guide, we’ll look at how to time your decorating schedule and provide tips for storing ornaments so you can enjoy them for many Christmases to come.

When to Put Up Christmas Decorations

Every family celebrates Christmas in their own way: there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
Some families follow annual traditions, but ultimately, the right time is when you feel ready.
Here are some popular approaches to when the decorations should go up:

The First Day of November

If you adore the holiday season and want to get started early, November 1st is perfectly acceptable. Not only does it give you plenty of time to decorate at leisure, it could actually have a positive effect on your mood.

Putting your decorations up early creates a sense of an extended holiday, while also facilitating a neurological shift that can produce happiness. As psychologist Deborah Serani explains, ‘Christmas decorating will spike dopamine, a feel-good hormone.’

So if you’re keen to bring the magic of Christmas into your home as early as possible, decorating in early November is a great way to bring a smile to everyone’s faces.

Before Thanksgiving

A growing number of people feel that Thanksgiving is the perfect time. Although some schools of thought believe Thanksgiving and Christmas shouldn’t be conflated (because they represent different things), there’s no harm in creating a festive mood in the last weeks of November.

Again, putting your decorations up before December will extend the sense of celebration and give you time to focus on Christmas shopping.

The First Day of December

Many families have a tradition of putting up Christmas decorations on December 1st, which falls on a Friday in 2023. December is generally considered a festive month, with carols playing wherever you go and Christmas parties providing joyous opportunities to eat, drink and be merry.

For many, there’s no question about when the Christmas decorations should go up – it’s an unspoken rule that it can’t happen until December arrives. If you’d like tips on choosing a tree and deciding on a color scheme, explore our guide to decorating your Christmas tree.

The First Day of Advent

For many Christians, it’s traditional to start putting up Christmas decorations on Advent Sunday, i.e. the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day (in 2023, this will happen on Sunday, December 3rd). Advent marks the start of the new liturgical year and a time of expectation and hope.

The etymology of the word Advent derives from the Latin adventus, which means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’. It’s about looking forward to celebrating Jesus’s birth and waiting expectantly for Christ’s return.

When to Take Down Christmas Decorations

The question of when to take down Christmas decorations provokes debate, as some people have fixed ideas of when it should happen, while others prefer a more relaxed approach.

Many followers of the Christian faith believe that the Twelfth Night (i.e. twelve days after Christmas) is when decorations should come down. Some believe keeping your decorations up after the Twelfth Night is bad luck.

Other people choose to take their decorations down the day after Christmas simply because they believe there’s no need for decorations once Christmas itself has been celebrated. Similarly, others choose the first day of the New Year, as they feel that this date marks the conclusion of the festive season.

Make Your Own Rules

But really, there are no rules when it comes to Christmas decorating. Take, for instance, Josiah Wedgwood, our social pioneer and innovator. His ability to think outside the box and challenge convention led to his success, and it’s an example we can all learn from. This is all to say that you shouldn’t let ideas of what’s normal and expected get in the way if you want to take an unconventional approach to your Christmas decoration schedule.

How to Store Delicate Christmas Decorations

When it comes to taking down and storing decorations, you can do a few things to make life easier and ensure that your delicate ornaments can be used for years to come.

Plan ahead

All it takes is a bit of forward planning to keep your decorations neat and organized until they’re needed again. Our suggestions include:

Create a dedicated space: Whether in the attic, linen cupboard or garage, dedicate a space in your house to store your decorations safely.
Use clear containers and labels: This will make your life so much easier when decorating your home the following year.
Wrap delicate ornaments: This will help to keep fragile ornaments safe whilst in storage.

Keep your tree in a bag: If your Christmas tree came with a bag, hold onto it for easier storage. Garment bags can also be used to keep your Christmas decorations dust free.

Clean delicate ornaments before you store

Delicate Christmas ornaments will need to be cleaned before you put them away. For Wedgwood Christmas ornaments, carefully wipe each piece with a damp cloth, then store them in the blue gift box they came with. Avoid soaking in water, as this could damage the porcelain.

Make sure your decorations don’t come into contact with harsh cleaning chemicals. A soft paintbrush is also a good tool for gently removing dust, and a microfiber cloth will help keep everything looking like new.

Keep ornaments protected while in storage

Pack your delicate ornaments in bubble wrap, tissue paper or recycled wrapping paper from Christmas presents and store them in a hard plastic storage box or a padded trunk to prevent breakages. Place heavier items on the bottom, with lighter decorations on top.

Your Christmas table linen, tree skirts and throw pillows could be vacuum sealed for space-efficient storage and protect them from dirt and dust.

Prevent string light tangles

Christmas lights can be notoriously difficult to store since they’re so prone to getting tangled. To avoid this problem, save used coffee cans and wrap the lights around the tin, starting at the bottom and working your way toward the top.

You might also like to buy a storage reel to keep your string lights under control during the off-season. Pieces of cardboard can also be used if you don’t have enough lights to warrant a reel.

Transitioning Decor for Post-Holiday Luxury

The dawning of a New Year often inspires people to reimagine their home decor. Dreaming up a new direction for your home aesthetic can help you transition into winter easily when the Christmas period ends, and decorations get taken down.

Here are some ideas to create a new look for your home after the holidays:

Keep it cozy: Think candles, plush cushions and knitted blankets to create a warm and inviting relaxing space for you and your guests.
Natural accents: Organic accessories like tree branches placed in tall vases and pine cones on decorative trays can be used to create an elegant winter atmosphere.
Choose a color scheme: Warm and rich colors such as deep reds and aubergine can help to add sophistication to the space. You’d be surprised what a difference a simple bouquet of flowers or colorful throws can make to a room.

At Wedgwood, we’ve been making Christmas magical since 1759. If you’re looking for Christmas home decor ideas, take a look at our best Christmas tree decorations and ornaments to get inspired. These collectible ornaments also make beautiful gifts that can be cherished for years to come.

Add a sprinkling of Wedgwood magic to your Christmas in 2023 with our festive collection.