2021 Christmas Display Take-Down - Already in progress

[Orville]

Yes, I ran my LAST SHOW Christmas Night, on Sunday morning, 12/26/2021, I started taking things down and cutting the zip ties off of cord and cat5 bundles.  I usually would keep it up until Jan 6.  But after last year's experience with the new management, since it was almost, or early February, before my take-down was complete in 2020, and I received a "violation" for having my decorations up past January, I just opted to stop the show Christmas Night for being the last, and final show of 2021, and start taking things down.  Especially since it sometimes takes me a lot longer than some folks to get things done like this.  I tried explaining why it takes me longer to get my display taken down, but they just couldn't, or didn't want, to understand why I need a longer time in doing this than others.

Vision issues, legally blind, and I have to be very careful NOT to cut wires, cables or RGB port controller wires when cutting off the zip ties that have specific items bundled together, not only that, but it's even very difficult for me to unscrew a simple screw from a clamp {or put one in when setting up} when taking down my display.  I also suffer with chronic migraines, almost every single day {sometimes I'm lucky and might skip a day or two}, along with shoulder and neck injuries, along with asthma, COPD and MVP {no, that IS NOT Most Valuable Player, it has to do with a defective heart valve}.  All this is what finally put me on permanent disability, along with a muscle disease called Fibromyalgia, and since our dimwitted, illustrious government took away our potent prescription pain meds, I've had to use other things {over the counter} for pain, and they don't always work well enough to even get me out of bed on some days.   And this is why I will be shutting down my display on Christmas night from now on.   Prior manager knew of all my medical issues, and limitations, and she always gave me until the end of February to get my display down after Christmas, but just falls on deaf ears with this one.

So starting now, 2021, my last show was on Christmas Night, and take-down will now commence the next day {providing I'm up too it} from 2021 until the day I can just no longer do a display.  Which I hope is still quite a few years away yet.  Only time will tell.

 

 

[TheDucks]

Yep! Pulled some of my stuff too. We have been getting enough wind and rain that my Walmart candy canes kept falling over (sand for soil), so took advantage  of a Sunny day.

[Kapkirk]

We will start takedown Saturday the 1st, took us almost 4 weeks for assembling and usually a week or so for takedown, most important for us here in Florida is to ensure dry in storage. I like to takedown after a couple days of dry weather.

[Godney]

We will start takedown this weekend the 1st as long as weather holds off ,Like Kapkirk i don't put up equipment wet

[k6ccc]

I'm still debating on end of show.  Usually I run till the first Friday after New Years Day.  With the 1st on Saturday, I am at least sort of planning on running my last show on the 2nd.  Might be the 1st, so I can get at least most of the show down on Sunday the 2nd.  Largely depends on how much traffic I an still getting.

 

[rcktpwrd]

We run until New Years, but today was nice and warm and it's been dry for a while, so I took down the two largest inflatables in our display. There is some rain forecast this week. The smaller inflatables can easily be setup in the garage for a couple days to dry out if needed. 

[jfuller8400]

I'll probably run until Jan 15 or so (I've switched to my post-holiday music).  Then for me, it's a matter of when the snow melts for me to take things down (which could be march/April) 🙂 

[prevue12]

Tonight is my last night to run, tear down will start early the 28th. Takes two days to get all the stuff mostly put away and out of the front yard. 

 

[Speedster]

Just finished tearing down about 45 minutes ago.  Normally I leave our display up until after New Year's, but tear down will be much harder if I wait until then due to all the slushy snow we got last night and all the snow in the forecast for the rest of the week.  The problem is that the slushy snow will freeze overnight and all the cords will be encased in solid ice.  Same situation last year, so this is the 2nd year in a row that I've taken down our display on Dec 27. 

[lightzilla]

My wife wants me to keep it up until New Years. However In the past I took mine down right after Christmas but this Christmas at -30 to - 42 degrees I don't really want to take things down. On Sunday I will take easy stuff down like blow molds, and pixel arches. All cat 5 cables & cords are under a 1 foot of snow, and the other cords under a bit deeper snow.

 

[Orville]

Got that crappy sandy soil here to TheDucks, won't't hold anything up unless you brace them with something like very long tent stakes in the ground and zip tie them to those.  I have some of those WalMart lighted candy canes in my display, this year I just zip tied them to my ramp, and they stayed put.

Like others, I don't mess with anything if its wet, I'll wait it out for a day or two for it to dry out.  I won't bring anything in wet, either!

Sure glad I don't get snow like  some of you folks do   And it's going to be in the low to mid, even near 90 this week in my area.   Personally I'd rather the weather temps were between 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit, that's my ideal take down weather.   The 80s are just too blamin' hot for me, no shade around my house at all except early morning or very late evening just before it gets dark this time of year.   So I don't get much done during the day when the temps are in the mid-high 80s or low to mid 90s.  Sure wish some of those colder temps would make it down here and stay for a while, just doesn't seem to work that way in Florida.

[ebrown1972]

I took everything down yesterday and usually do the day after Christmas or thereabouts. I take vacation each Christmas and try to get the display down while still off of work. I still need to get everything organized and stored in it's proper location though.

[BluMan]

Same here, took everything down yesterday while it was in the 50's here.  I had some help this year taking it down so we just moved everything from the front yard to the garage so I can take my time tearing it down and putting it away correctly.  I usually wait a bit longer but since we have had unseasonably warm weather here in Indiana, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

My new RGB light tunnel was a huge hit this year and it's 13 feet long and I designed it so it could be picked up by four people and carried as one piece into the garage for disassembly.

[MikeA]

Mine is 100% down.  I personally don't want to see anything Christmasy after the 25th since I have been dealing with lights since October.

 

[Oliver Blatt]

I was going to leave everything up through New Years night and tear down Sunday afternoon, but I’m looking at a forecast of 30 mph winds on Sunday. Everything may come down on Saturday, and I’ll call it a wrap a day early. For some reason, now that Christmas is over, I’m not jamming on the lights any more for the season. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.

[prevue12]

mine was 100% out of the front yard yesterday, about 50% put away for the year.  Glad I got it down, it rained all day today. 

 

[Godney]

Started teardown today got 75% done then i will have to finish next weekend, because i have to leave for Virginia at 4.00 am tomorrow morning for Company Business  for 1 week so i"ll finish next weekend

[Kapkirk]

We too started teardown today, Thanks to my son and Grand daughter for all the extra help, got 80% of ours and 60% of the neighbors down, with a little luck we can get to 90% tomorrow before the front hits in the afternoon evening hours. Then during the week I can finish up the rest and get everything stored. Was lucky today kind of with the warm temp's and dry conditions, was able to get it down into the driveway for a couple hours drying in the sun then stored away.

[TexasLights]

I have a renewed appreciation for those of you in more northern climates.  It was 80+ here yesterday which is really too hot for take down.  Today it was 28, with a strong wind (feels like 18).  So not getting much done today.   But I have a lot of lights to take down and not nearly the motivation when putting them up so I am in no hurry.

[k6ccc]

I ran the last show yesterday.  I Was happy to have a car full out watching at the end.  Went outside a few minutes before the last song started (happened to be "All I want for Christmas is You")  Supposed to get up to 62 today (which means it won't be all that hot in the attic where most of everything gets stored).  Should get most of everything except the pixel tree taken down, and mostly stored.  A couple repair items won't get done till later, so a couple items won't get put away until the repairs are made.