Undecking the halls: How long do you leave your holiday decorations up?

When Shawn O’Mahony was growing up, it wasn’t unusual for his mother to let the Christmas tree stick around until Easter.

That tradition didn’t carry over to her son.

“When I decorated, the decorations were down before the new year,” said O’Mahony, a Penn Hills resident. “I like to start the new year with a clean home and everything in its place.”

When it comes to decking the halls, there’s no telling how long holiday decorations will remain on the walls (and seemingly every other surface, depending on your family’s, shall we say, “Griswold quotient”).

“I love everything about Christmas including the decorations,” said Amanda Steele Bank of Delmont.

While Bank’s family celebrates on Dec. 25, she also takes time to recognize other celebrations.

“Orthodox Christmas is the week after New Year’s,” she said. “In honor of those that celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, I leave up the decorations and lights through that date.”

According to an October 2019 survey by Statista.com, 69% of respondents wait until after New Year’s Day to take down their holiday decorations, and about 21% do so between Christmas and New Year’s. In the United Kingdom, many families choose to wait until Twelfth Night (the titular “12th Day of Christmas”) to take down their decorations.

Jamie Lee Korns of Murrysville carries on a family tradition in her Christmas light display.

“We have this really awesome star and cross my dad built in 1984,” she said. “It lights up and alternates, and then both show together. He built it using an old rotisserie grill motor and cams to control patterns that we can set.”

When Lee Korns was growing up, her parents set the star/cross on top of their house, which itself was atop a large hill visible to much of the neighborhood.

“We have it now and love to set it as a family every year,” she said.

The Korns typically leave their decorations up until the weekend after Candlemas, when many Christians bring candles to church to be blessed for use during the remainder of the year. Celebrated primarily in the Catholic church, Candlemas celebrates the presentation of the Baby Jesus, his first entry into the temple and the Virgin Mary’s purification.

And while O’Mahony has always been quick taking down his holiday decorations, in recent years there has been even less to take down.

“I love to see all the decorations and lights, but in recent years I’ve found a deeper meaning to Christmas in service,” he said.

O’Mahony and other members of the Penn Hills nonprofit Bringing Out the Best operated a “star tree” program this season, making keepsake ornaments for people who purchased gifts for local veterans, and also cooked a large Italian meal for a group of veterans.

That didn’t leave a lot of time for decking the halls.

“Our decorations at home have consisted of a rosemary Christmas tree and a poinsettia,” he said.