When Should Hudson Valley Christmas Decorations Disappear?

Unless you want to earn the wrath of your Hudson Valley friends and neighbors, this is the day that your Christmas decorations should come down.

There's always been a debate as to when Christmas decorations no longer become festive and start to become an eyesore. Some have used Twelfth Night as a benchmark, an old celebration from Victorian times that traditionally took place on January 5. It used to be considered bad luck (and bad form) to have your tree and other decorations out past this holiday.

Others say that New Year's day is technically the last day of the Christmas season, and therefore should signal the end of Christmas lights. Depending on which day of the week the new year lands, however, this may seem a bit premature to some. This year, New Year's day fell on a Friday, making the whole weekend feel as if it should be an extension of the holiday season.

So when should your tree and lights come down? Most ettiqute experts seem to agree that the first day of business after the holiday break is usually the end of Christmas decor. This year, that day is Monday, January 4. Luckily, the weather is great this weekend and there isn't any snow burying those extension cords, so most shouldn't have any excuse not to clear out the decorations. And if you cut down your tree the week after Thanksgiving, that Frasier Fir has probably stopped drinking already. So why not get it out of the house before those needles really start to drop?

Of course, anyone who lives in the Hudson Valley knows that there are some who just refuse to let the holidays go (we're looking at you, icicle-light house on the corner). But don't blame us if you get dirty looks for having a brown wreath on your door in July, we're just telling you how it is.

We want to know when you think Christmas decorations should come down. Answer our poll below and see how your answer compares to the experts, and the rest of the Hudson Valley.