There’s no hard rule, but there is a genuinely practical window — and testing before you pack
everything away matters more than the exact calendar date you pick.
The common timing windows
Most people fall into one of three patterns: taking lights down right after New Year’s Day (the
most common “official” end date), waiting until Epiphany/Twelfth Night (January 6, a traditional
date some households follow), or simply taking them down whenever the weather and their own schedule
allow, without a fixed date. None is more “correct” than another — it’s household preference and
local custom, not a functional deadline.
The one practical constraint: weather
Taking lights down in freezing temperatures makes cords stiffer and more prone to cracking as you
handle and coil them — if you have flexibility, picking a milder day (even a few degrees above
freezing) is genuinely easier on the equipment than fighting stiff, cold cords. This is a bigger
factor in colder climates than the actual calendar date is.
Test every string before it goes away for the year
This matters more than the exact takedown date: plug in and check each string as you take it
down, not after everything’s already coiled and boxed. A quick test now means you know exactly what
worked all season and catch a fault while it’s still easy to trace, rather than discovering a dead
string next November with no memory of what happened. See our half-string and whole-string fixes if something needs repair before storage.
Wind properly on the way down
Takedown is also when tangles get created or avoided — see our full storage guide for the winding method that saves you an
untangling session next season.
What to check on the actual lights, not just the display
Beyond whether each string still lights up, check the cord itself for cracks or wear from a
season of exposure, and check any connectors for corrosion or looseness. A string that still works
today but shows visible cord damage is worth flagging (or replacing) now, since that damage
typically gets worse in storage, not better.
FAQ
Is there an official date to take Christmas lights down?
No hard rule — right after New Year’s Day and January 6 (Epiphany/Twelfth Night) are the two
most common traditional endpoints, but plenty of households simply go by their own schedule.
Does it matter if I take them down in freezing weather?
It’s not harmful to the lights themselves, but cold, stiff cords are more prone to cracking while
you’re handling and coiling them — a milder day is easier on the equipment if you have flexibility.
Should I test the lights before or after taking them all down?
Before packing everything away — test each string as you remove it so you catch and remember any
issue while it’s still fresh, rather than next season with no memory of what happened.
What should I check besides whether the lights turn on?
Cord condition (cracks, wear) and connector condition (corrosion, looseness) — a string that
still lights up but shows cord damage is worth flagging now, since that damage typically worsens in
storage.
Leaving them up unlit — a reasonable middle ground
A common compromise in colder regions: stop running the lights in early January, but leave the
sets physically in place until a mild day arrives for removal. That avoids handling stiff, brittle
cords in freezing conditions, which is genuinely the main risk to the equipment.
The trade-off is that every extra week outdoors is more UV, more moisture cycling and more wind
working connections loose. Leaving them up a few extra weeks for a decent weather window is sensible;
leaving them up until spring is how sets that would have lasted a decade end up failing in five
years.
The inspection worth doing as they come down
Takedown is the one moment each year when every set passes through your hands, so it is by far
the best time to catch problems. Check four things per set: does it still light fully, is the cord
insulation intact along its whole length with no cracks or worn spots, are the connectors clean
rather than corroded or discoloured, and is the plug undamaged with its fuse cover intact.
Anything that fails those checks either gets repaired now or gets marked so you are not
discovering it in November. Faults worth fixing immediately are covered in
the fuse guide,
the half-string guide and
flickering LEDs; if a fault is hard to
locate, finding a dead section
without a tester covers narrowing it down while the set is still accessible.
Deciding what does not go back in the box
Be willing to discard. A set with damaged insulation, a scorched socket, or a fault you could not
trace is not worth storing for eleven months to re-diagnose next winter, and storing it guarantees
you will hang it again before remembering. Decide at takedown, while the evidence is in front of
you — Christmas light safety
covers the damage that makes a set genuinely unusable rather than merely faulty.
Note replacements needed while you know exactly which run they served, and size them against your
existing measurements rather than re-measuring in autumn:
the roofline picks guide and
the calculator. Then wind, label and store what survives —
storing lights without tangles.
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