Affiliate Disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. We do not buy, install, or physically handle the lights and decorations we cover; our rankings come from aggregated owner feedback and expert consensus, not first-hand testing. Commissions never change our verdicts. How we research · full disclosure.
Top 3 Picks
The traditional answer to when to take down Christmas lights is by Twelfth Night — the evening of January 5 or January 6 (the Epiphany). In practice, most people take their lights and decorations down on the first mild, dry weekend after New Year's Day. There is no rule forcing a date; the guidance below covers the customs, the weather timing, and how to pack up safely.
When to take down Christmas lights: the short answer
Twelfth Night marks the end of the traditional twelve days of Christmas that begin on December 25. Counting the days lands on the evening of January 5 in one custom and on January 6 — the Epiphany — in another. Either way, this is the classic deadline for taking Christmas decorations down. If you like following the old calendar, aim to have the lights off and stored by the sixth.
| Date | What it marks | Take-down meaning |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | Most common practical take-down day |
| January 5 | Twelfth Night (eve) | Traditional decoration deadline |
| January 6 | Epiphany | Alternate Twelfth Night / end of Christmas |
| February 2 | Candlemas | Old custom for removing greenery |
What tradition says about taking decorations down: Twelfth Night to Candlemas
The bad-luck warning about leaving decorations up past Twelfth Night is folklore, not scripture. An older English tradition kept holly, ivy, and other evergreen greenery in the home right through to Candlemas on February 2. That is forty days after Christmas. So if your lights are still glowing in late January, you are in good historical company. Tradition gives you a range, not a single hard date.
When to take down outdoor lights: the practical weather answer
For outdoor lights, weather matters more than the calendar. Take them down on a day that is dry and above freezing. Cold makes light wire stiff and brittle, so uncoiling and coiling strands in freezing temperatures cracks the insulation and pops bulbs. A mild afternoon lets the wire flex, which protects the strands for next year. Waiting for a clear, dry day also means you are not handling electrical cords in rain or on icy ground.
Does leaving lights up too long damage them?
Yes, for standard seasonal string lights. Sunlight breaks down the plastic insulation over weeks of exposure, making it brittle and prone to cracking. Moisture works into sockets and connectors and corrodes the contacts, which is a leading cause of a strand failing the next season. Take non-permanent lights down within a few weeks of the holiday to get the most seasons out of them. Permanent LED systems are the exception — they use UV-stable housings and sealed connectors built to stay up year-round.
How to take lights down without wrecking them
The way you remove and store lights decides how they perform next year. Work slowly and undo the install in reverse.
- Unplug and let bulbs cool. Warm bulbs are more fragile, so give incandescent strands a few minutes before handling.
- Release clips, don't yank. Pulling strands off gutters and shingles snaps bulbs and strips wire. Pop each clip individually.
- Wind onto a reel or spool. Coiling strands around a piece of cardboard or a dedicated reel prevents the tangles that tempt people to tug — and tugging is what breaks them.
- Label and box by zone. Bagging the roofline set separately from the tree set saves an hour next December.
For a step-by-step on coiling and containers, see our guide on how to store Christmas lights. Sets that are broken beyond repair should not go in household recycling — read how to dispose of Christmas lights for the right way to recycle them.
Should you just switch to permanent lights?
If the yearly hang-and-remove cycle is the part you dread, permanent architectural lighting removes the take-down step entirely. These sealed LED systems stay mounted year-round and switch between holiday colors and everyday white from an app. They cost more up front, but there is no ladder work every January. Weigh it up in our breakdown of what it costs to have Christmas lights installed, and browse the Christmas Lights 101 & Safety hub for more seasonal basics.
Our Picks
![All-Purpose Holiday Light Clips [Set of 200] Christmas Clips, Outdoor Light Clips - Mount](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51RSgM9CF-L._SL500_.jpg)
Prices and availability are pulled live from Amazon (as of Aug 22, 2026, 7:31 AM EDT) and refreshed every 3h. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.