Is It Tacky Yet?

When does it become tacky to still have your Christmas decorations up?

Let me clarify by saying: I ain't asking ya'll what keep 'em up year round. That pretty much goes without saying.

I've fantasized about having a secret room to roll the tree into, with a few extra, easily accessible bags of garlands and whatnot, but I don't have the means to do such.

Besides, knowing my family, we'd have it so full of other junk it would be a major chore to get to the Christmas stuff by the time Thanksgiving rolled around.

My rule of thumb on decorating is this: The day after Thanksgiving until no later than January fifteenth.

I usually have everything down by the seventh or eighth because I'm suddenly extremely tired of looking at it.

Today, I still am enjoying everything. It's getting colder and colder outside, we  might have snow this weekend, and, well, I want to have a fire, turn on the tree lights and enjoy it.

I don't care if it is the first week of January.

I have friends who barely get the gifts unwrapped before they start ripping the tree apart. (These are the same friends who make up the bed in the middle of the night if their husbands get up to go pee).

Then I have friends who consider leaving all the red ornaments up and calling it a Valentine's tree. (These are the same friends who haven't made up their bed since 1978).

And, not to criticize anyone: I don't care. If you want your stuff left up all year, go for it.

You know everyone will secretly envy you right after Thanksgiving.