Are your Christmas decorations still up? Mine, are not. We did an official unplugging of the tree on Jan. 2. And it wasn’t necessarily because it was the day after our last vacation day. We were just bored. And I needed that electrical outlet back to plug in my lamp.

I guess the deal is that Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night – the night of January 5th or 6th, depending on what day you count as the first day of Christmas. Some say if you don’t take them down in time, it’s bad luck – and then you have to leave them up all year.

That IS bad luck.

But some people just want to keep them up through January. Either they want to continue celebrating the holiday season, or they just have a ton of extension cords. But I’m hoping it’s a sign that they want to hold onto that Christmas spirit for the first month of the new year – continuing to celebrate the peace, love and joy that the holiday season breeds.

But if they’re still up Feb.1? I see that as a sign of laziness. Or at best, a sign that they didn’t get their 2013 day planner and have no idea that we’re in month two. Just wait til they get to Staples and find out they missed the Jan. 6 deadline and now they’re stuck with a tree in the foyer til the end of the year.

Now if there is snow on the ground, it’s a little easier to stomach. The neighbor’s Christmas lights brightening a wintery mix in February is nice when I’m sipping my hot cocoa.

But if it’s warm outside, and I see someone mowing around the giant Santa in their yard, it makes me feel bad. And nervous. Like Santa got left behind, thus losing planning time for Christmas 2013. If the Elf on the Shelf can make it back to the North Pole by Christmas Day, so should the Big Guy.

But while I don’t want to see decorations stay up forever, I hate to see them come down too soon. I went to a New Year’s Eve party and the only evidence of Christmas was the tree carcass at the end of the driveway. It was like a Christmas crime scene. No evidence that anything ever took place – save for the lifeless pine. No decorations, or cookies, or cards, or holiday napkins. Just champagne. It was eerie. But at least we had the champagne.

But I say, when in doubt, just follow the same schedule as the big tree in Rockefeller Center. I figure if it’s good enough for New York, it’s good enough for us. Although that tree isn’t coming down til Jan. 7. A day later than the deadline.

I don’t think I’d be riding the subway this year.