Generally the the tree (real) comes down the day of the Superbowl.
Trains have to at least partially be removed for tree removal, but may often return once the tree is gone.
-Dave
I generally keep my tree and layout up through the end of the first weekend after New Year's Day. I don't want the holidays to end and am already planning my layout design for next Christmas.
As was planned, my around-the-tree layout was up and in its boxes by 9 AM this morning and the tree undecorated and at the curb for pickup by Sanitation by 9:30. Remote Thomas is safely back in his box until next holiday. My D&RG Shifter is upstairs on the layout ready to do duty there until next Christmas. The house is strangely quiet after nearly a week of squealin grandkids and all . . .
My Tree and Train under it went up the Evening of Thanksgiving.
I added the 2 buildings and the 2 cars I got for Christmas, tho only one building is really a match to the rest.
They will stay up as long as I can get away with it because the kids really love it.
The one and two year old's will stand at arms reach and run a finger down the top of each car if I let them. (I do as long as they aren't pressing hard enough to cause a derail)
The one year old is so sweet and simply mesmerized by the bell or whistle.
She will squat there grinning with her eyes sparkling and watch the train go out of sight behind the TV stand then look back and wait for it to pop out from under the tree.
If you want some rationale or superstition to help decide ...
A recent belief in some English-speaking countries holds that it is unlucky to leave Christmas decorations hanging after Twelfth Night, a belief originally attached to the festival of Candlemas ...
We just finally took ours down. Only because we got two new (to us) pieces of furniture. Wife wants to get the new Diesel Polar Express and the Rio Grande General to run as well. Now she wants a shelf system running around the living room and put up a narrow display to run the trains when ever.
When your tree start to look like this...
Jerry
The tree is gone. The train is still there.
Tree has been gone for 3 weeks...Train is still up and running.
still going strong......
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Christmas ends in our house on January 6 with the Feast of Epiphany also called Three Kings Day or Little Christmas. According to an old legend based on a Bible story, these three kings saw, on the night when Christ was born, a bright star, followed it to Bethlehem and found there the Christchild and presented it with gold, frankincense and myrrh. That's when my tree comes down. The Christmas Garden usually stays up till mid February.
Mine was down the weekend following New Year. However I was so disgusted that I didn't even get the stuff put up under the tree that I did last year. I cant leave it up, (display part) for very long because my grandkids who live with me will trash it. This year Christmas Eve was just a nightmare. I had to run errands and such and just didn't have the time to get it up like I wanted it. But, (and here's the big BUT), since my visions exceed my ability to get it set up in some normal time frame, I have decided it will be Christmas 365 days a year. I may use some type of temp snow, white will look bad after a couple of months, but I'll just decorate buildings and such as if it were the holidays, and leave it like that. With the exception of warm weather activities, everything that occurs around a railroad in July still happens on Dec 23rd. And since I never go overboard, and am not in the least obsessive, and since my cabinets, shelves, workbenches and such, have never been painted, I decided to paint everything. I am using a nice Green and Red color scheme. The kids and even adults think my workshop (garage) is pretty cool, so I thought I just paint it to look like the workshop of some sort of Jolly old Soul. And quite frankly I am enjoying Christmas more now than the two week before Dec 25th. All the B.S. everyone wanting your money, all the rushing around. I discovered Christmas music 365 days a year on the internet. So right now I listening to Dean Martin doing Here Comes Santa Clause. And besides as slow as I move now, it might take me a little longer to get everything I want done. It's only 334 days till Christmas.........
Jerry,
So what happens when the tree is artificial?
--James
James, stop confusing me!
Jerry
When the tree turns brown, the trains is coming down.
Don
Originally Posted by jjwtrainman:
Jerry,
So what happens when the tree is artificial?
--James
It stays up until I find the time to take it down, like soon. Best piece of furniture in my living room. And those Std. Ga. trains, well, what can I say.
It has been too cold in the Midwest for me take the layout down and to be climbing in the cold attic to get all the boxes out. Usually, I would have it put away by now, but until it warms up some, I will be running my trains!
This week I will be getting back 1 of my engine from being repaired, so I will be able to run it again before it all comes down. If I am really lucky, maybe my Lionel NS Heritage Southern ES44ac, cab 8099 that I pre-order last spring will come before I get things put away. Ken
The tree and train came down the Friday after Christmas. It was a wonderful Holiday Season...but it was time to "de-Christmas" the house. Matt
Please replace the batteries in your smoke alarms if you run electric trains under a live tree for more than a month. I used to own business that made residential deliveries. We had a contest for the customer who left their live tree up the longest. The winner was usually crowned in March. Of course the customers didn't know about the contest... winning was tantamount to losing.
Mine is still up waiting for warmer weather. lost job in November and no money to have gas turned on so warming house with electric space heaters and us wrapped in blankets. Back room where Boxes are stored has no heat so that and the attic are as cold as the outside. So at least for me everything stays where it is till it warms up a bit and i can get into the attic without getting Frost bit
Anybody ask that professional proclaimer of seasons: Daffy Duck!
Our tree and 6x12 Christmas layout came down today, 1/25/14. The living room looks very bare now. I usually try to dismantle everything no later than mid January but this year I kept it up a little later because my wife and I enjoyed it so much this year. I put a little more work into the layout and it was worth it. I hated taking everything down. Bummer.
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Tree is at the curb waiting for the township to come around picking them up. Postwar trains back up in the attic. But, the green and red Christmas lights are still on the bushes in front of the house, and look great lit right now with all the snow we have.
My neighbors, and my wife, think I'm a little screwy. Lol.
"Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and mistletoe;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall"
—Robert Herrick (1591–1674), "Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve"
Historically the eve of Candlemas (Feb. 3) was the day on which Christmas decorations of greenery were removed from people's homes. And so I follow the old traditions in a modern way:
outdoor and indoor decorative lights off
then three afternoons of disassembly, packing, and putting things in the attic
followed by the usual cleanup of residual bits and pieces.
Down with the bays and mistletoe;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall"
—Robert Herrick (1591–1674), "Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve"
Historically the eve of Candlemas (Feb. 3) was the day on which Christmas decorations of greenery were removed from people's homes. And so I follow the old traditions in a modern way:
outdoor and indoor decorative lights off
then three afternoons of disassembly, packing, and putting things in the attic
followed by the usual cleanup of residual bits and pieces.
Our tree comes down one week into the new year. After that the train gets relocated to the carpeted basement. I'm hoping mid-March before I have to tuck it away.
By then the focus switches to the other hobby so I'm good with that.
Originally Posted by cngw:
I will probably leave this up a month, maybe more. Last year it stayed up til the end of Feb. Too cold to work in the wood shop anyway. And, after all, I just finished it Monday! Greg
How could you take something sowonderous down?! It looks like a great deal of fun.
FrankM.
Originally Posted by wild mary:
Christmas ends in our house on January 6 with the Feast of Epiphany also called Three Kings Day or Little Christmas. According to an old legend...
That's what we do, too, honoring that feast day. Then, the tree and house decorations are removed and stored away, and all the miniature decorations (building decorations; sidewalk-Santas; holiday NYC's Macy's/Chicago's Miracle Mile/Rose Bowl-style parade) throughout the layout (Moon Township) are removed, too, though we miss them as soon as they are gone.
FrankM.
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