(Frazer Harrison/Getty)
The holidays are a lovely time of year, but they do have an end - and so, too, should even the best holiday light displays.
For many homeowners, however, the question of when to bring down a cherished creation that may have involved hours of their own sweat and more than one sketchy reach from an imperfectly placed ladder can involve some difficult self-reflection.
And while the stakes aren't high compared to other decisions homeowners face, it's not without risk: Every neighborhood is a community, and Christmas lights have been the source of feuds before.
To help with the transition, here are a few considerations you might take into account when sketching out your own rule of thumb:
- Tradition
While only a single day is technically called Christmas, the holiday actually encompasses 12 days according to many Christian traditions. That puts the 12th day of Christmas on either Jan. 5 or Jan. 6, depending on whether you count Christmas as the first day. Marked in the Christian tradition as the Eve of Epiphany, according to Good Housekeeping, the 12th day of Christmas also makes as good a day as any for a nice clean break with Donner and Prancer.
- Safety
Most Christmas lighting products are only meant to withstand about 90 days in the outdoor environment, according to a lighting contractor quoted by ABC. That means wires can fray, bulbs can break, and other dangers can occur, increasing the risk of a janky display - with one section gone dark - or even a fire.
- Being a good neighbor
Neighborliness isn't nothing, and while drive-by viewers may delight in your display, your neighbors may not. Especially where houses are spaced more closely together, Apartment Therapy points out that your Santa and Rudolph might be creating a light display on someone else's bedroom wall, potentially disturbing their sleep. Displays have been the source of feuds - especially if yours incorporates music or other audible effects, you might consider your neighbor's patience when thinking about your own timelines.
- Power power bills and nature
While LED lights have reduced the draw of some displays, many still use strings of incandescent bulbs, which gulp down electricity - a display with 10 strings of C9-size bulbs can cost upwards of $3 per day to run, according to an analysis by the Washington Post. And every year, NASA estimates holiday displays, which are visible from space, increase the nighttime light levels in populated areas by 20-30%. As joyous as lights may be in December, at some point in January the argument that they're adding to light pollution, throwing off circadian rhythms and blotting out the night sky, starts to seem a little more reasonable.
- The law
If being a good neighbor isn't motivation enough, enthusiastic homeowners would also do well to consider the laws in their areas, including town and county ordinances. According to a law firm that published a guide to such cases, people have been docked for everything from nuisance violations to code infractions for displays that drew large crowds or gave their neighbors conniptions.
Maybe one more reason to consider, aside from not being the house with its lights still up in April: Some Christian traditions hold that leaving holiday displays up for too long can bring bad luck!