My parents were Mexican immigrants back in the 50s. They told me gift-giving during the Christmas season was done on January 6th. That's when the three wise men/kings arrived to bestow gifts upon the baby Jesus. I think my parents told me Mexicans fill their kids' SHOES with gifts. (That could have changed since the 60s when they told me about it.) Although my parents still gave us presents on Christmas day, we'd leave our Christmas decorations (including Lionel trains) up until January 6th. The 7th was when we'd finally dismantle, pack, and store everything until the day after Thanksgiving Day. That's what I do to this day.
What's traditionally the day when your stuff comes down?
The decorations are down and packed, The tree w/lites, well it just depends when my wife thinks it's time.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
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Phrankenstein, I'm assuming you were raised Roman Catholic like myself and Lady Firestorm (Irish and Italian). Traditionally we don't take the Christmas tree down until January 6th as well. Unless we get lazy, in which case it may stay up a bit longer. I do have to get the trains and Department 56 buildings out of the way first before she can remove the ornaments.
Lady Firestorm's mom set the record. She didn't take hers down until Valentines Day one year! Well, it was exceptionally well done that Christmas and all her friends hadn't seen it yet, you understand.
I was taught new years or day after some times a couple days later usually the weekend after New Years Day
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
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My parents followed the Roman Catholic tradition - tree up shortly after Thanksgiving, tree down after the 12th day of Christmas. (Incidentally, the best interpretation of contradictory biblical references indicates that Christ was probably born in the early Spring, since that was the only time shepherds would be with their flocks at night. The tree, and the approximate Winter Solstice timing, are of Northern European origin.)
My wife and I follow Japanese custom. No tree, no Santa Claus, celebrate New Year with gifts, special meals and appropriate devotions. We respect the traditions of others, but choose not to adopt them.
As for the trains, the layout in my double garage is permanent - possibly more permanent than I might turn out to be...
Chuck (Happily married to an Imperial subject for 55 years)
I thought the tree and Christmas layout were taken down on July 4???
You bring up a point I hadn't thought of before. Does having a permanent layout mean NO train around the Christmas tree for most of you? I think once I build a permanent layout, I'd still want to have at least ONE loop around the tree at Christmas. The tree just wouldn't seem complete without a train to me.
phrankenstign You bring up a point I hadn't thought of before. Does having a permanent layout mean NO train around the Christmas tree for most of you? I think once I build a permanent layout, I'd still want to have at least ONE loop around the tree at Christmas. The tree just wouldn't seem complete without a train to me.
I have a permanent layout in the basement, but that has nothing to do with my Christmas tree layout. The Christmas layout was built long before my basement layout, and I hope it is still going long after I am gone. My hope is that one of my boys will take it when he has his own house to put it in.
The last weekend in January is the target date to break down the Christmas tree and train. Depending on my mood, it may happen sooner, but never later. I tried removing the tree and leaving the train once, but it just looked so sad without the tree that I never did that again. All of my outdoor decorations will come down this weekend, possibly this afternoon.
We usually wait untill after Epiphany, which is early this year, this coming Sunday. It may be later because I'm on my long work strech on and not going to have a full day off till after next Friday.
Outside decorations is weather dependent. They strat coming down as soon as weather and work schedule permits after Christmas
Jim
My tree (and Polar Express/Christmas Village layout) usually are packed up the first weekend in January. FYI, we typically set everything up Thanksgiving weekend.
The Christmas tree layout doesn't come down until the weekend after Epiphany - January 6. The Christmas tree will come down the same day. Even though I have a permanent display layout in the basement I still try to have a loop around the tree. I've collected Skyline tin houses and buildings, the ceramic houses from "A Christmas Story", and other ceramic houses from Lemax, Christmas Valley, and Dept. 56. The three collections of buildings appear under the tree on a rotating basis. The outside decorations will be lighted until January 6 and then taken down as the weather permits.
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As a general rule the train tree and the other decorations come down after January 6th as well. But there were times when the outdoor decor which includes a Snoopy train have not come in till much later because of snow.
Joe Staten Island West
We celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas. We so enjoy this time of the year with all of the Chrustmas decorations.
I follow the "weekend after the Epiphany" model. However. That's just when I start thinking about taking things down! By the time I ferry all the boxes up from the basement and take down all of the peripheral decorations throughout the house it's at least 4 days later. Then I need 2 days to dissassemble Disneyland and ferry it to basement storage (on my currently unused train table and pallets in the workroom). Then the tree comes down over a day and a half at least which ends up being approximately 2 months after it was constructed. When all of that is done, I take down the layout and tree in my bedroom which by now has been up for close to 3 months since it's often ready by Halloween.
So there ya go. That's the plan.
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
My Lionel oval is actually up all year in my office. It used to circle the perimeter of my living room, but when I got my cats, I moved it up to the office so it was behind a closed door so they couldn't get to it. Fortunately, the open area inside the oval is right in front of my office window, which is perfect for the tree (again, so the cats can't get to it). I keep lighting the tree until after New Year's Day, so this afternoon, I'll begin carefully packing up ornaments, the Nativity, etc. Only problem this year is that I got a new pre-lit LED tree that comes apart in three sections. The box is bigger than the one from my old tree, but I'm thinking of getting three big totes (one for each section) to make it easier to store behind my layout in the basement and under the stairs.
Kevin
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The Yule Tree Railway's tracks were lifted yesterday (4th January) afternoon after gracing our sitting room for nearly forty days. The railway was inauguarted on the 27th of November, and the tree went up on the 29th of Nov. The final train was run under the tree on New Year's Day, and the artificial tree was dismantled today.The line's chief engineer (me) then spent about four hours yesterday afternoon re-configuring all of the tubular track on our "semi-permanent" layout (really, a 6' x 11 1/2' table made up of boards painted a dark shade of green). I enjoy rearranging the track each January (or whenever it strikes my fancy), so nothing is fastened down.The 2015 Christmas layout was by far our most elaborate yet: two trains running on a roughly 5' x 8' rug covered with artificial snow. Track plan featured two loops of O-31 track: an independent outer loop and an inner loop featuring four 042 hand-thrown turnouts and a ninety-degree crossing to facilitate a double-reverse loop, off of which a short spur track "served" a creche/nativity scene. I have never before run two trains beneath the tree (though I have utilized passing sidings in the past), and while I plan to do the same for the 2016 holiday season, I will probably forego the double-reverse loop in favour of two loops and a long spur track. I rarely used the double-reverse loop and crossing on this year's under-the-tree layout, and whenever a guest asked if the train could run over the crossing in a figure-eight arrangement, I would literally find myself acting like an exasperated head-end brakeman, dashing ahead of the train to throw each turnout.Ian D. McKechnie (IDM1991),Lindsay, Ontario, Canada
Never before Epiphany.
For those wanting a rationalization for leaving it up longer, consider this: Christmas starts on December 25. The twelfth day of Christmas is January 5. Epiphany ("Little Christmas") is January 6. Then Julian-calendar (Orthodox) Christmas is January 7; and the twelfth day of that Christmas is January 18. Finally, Theophany (Eastern Epiphany) is January 19!
Bob Nelson
lionelsoni Never before Epiphany. For those wanting a rationalization for leaving it up longer, consider this: Christmas starts on December 25. The twelfth day of Christmas is January 5. Epiphany ("Little Christmas") is January 6. Then Julian-calendar (Orthodox) Christmas is January 7; and the twelfth day of that Christmas is January 18. Finally, Theophany (Eastern Epiphany) is January 19!
And that's why everything comes down at our house on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday....
we get a fresh cut tree, soit lasts a long time. and the Mrs likes me in the living room playing with trains better than in the basement. plus we like the Christmas tree a lot, and with the grey dreary days of winter, it looks so plain once the tree comes down, so as long as the tree stays fresh, we leave it up, made it to Easter one year, but we do get funny looks whenever someone stops by.....
Dave
It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody from Toy Story)
I also have a permanant layout and have always had at least one loop under the tree. I have always managed to have the tree up until January 12th, our wedding anniversary.
Ray
Bayville, NJ
Life is what happens to youWhile you're busy making other plans - John Lennon
I don't follow any religious guidelines with trains, but I do set them up at Christmas time. I like the tradition of it carried over from my childhood. Its fun, but on New Years Day, thats it. For me, the holidays time out after New Years & its just a big pain to take everything down & I'd just rather get it over with. All the holiday decorations seem stale if they stay up longer & by then I'm ready to hunker down in the basement & do stuff down there until the weather breaks in spring.
our tree stays until the 6th at the earliest. As long as it keeps it's needles we take it down the weekend before Valentines Day. Love to sit on a winter evening and enjoy its lights
Banks, Proud member of the OTTS TCA 12-67310
Ever notice how it seems to take a lot less time to take down the Christmas decorations than it does to put them up? Strange.
Tree, last weekend.
North Pole layout, this weekend. Masked by the need to watch play-offs.
My Lionel Generals have invaded Santa's digs.
Life's short; run 'em fast!
Normally the weekend of the Superbowl for the tree (live, though if it's starts to dry out, I am very careful about not putitng the lights on for too long once it's been up a while). I take down the outdoor decorations sooner, just so the rest of the neighborhood doesn't wonder what's wrong with me. :) I've done most of the outdoor now, just going to try to do the last part that involves using the ladder tomorrow.
I was starting to think I was going to be the furthest out until I read the Valentines Day and Easter scenarios. ;)
-Dave
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