I know that normally you should keep "some Christmas decorations up" until Candlemas Day, which is Feb 2nd.

To be of one mind with the Church and her Liturgical Year (which is the best path for any Catholic), we should shift gears into Lent once the Church does. On Septuagesima, the Church begins to turn our attention to Lent. Just for starters, the "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" is no longer said at Mass. The liturgical color is purple -- the color of penance. The Nativity scene and any other Christmas decorations must be removed from any churches and chapels at this point.

Our Catholic homes should mimic the Church, at least as far as Her feasts and fasts. For example, if the Church takes down all Christmas decor on Jan 24th because it's Septuagesima (you can't celebrate Lent and Christmas at once), we should do the same.

This is only an issue when Easter is on the early side, as it is this year.

Long story short, keeping your Christmas tree up while the Church prays about penance (just read the Introit, prayers, Epistle, etc. for Septuagesima and tell me if a Christmas tree is appropriate!) is about as justified as putting up your tree "the day after Thanksgiving" because that's when everyone else does it.

In fact, putting it up the day after Thanksgiving is at least "going with the crowd" and you could blame it on the culture around you (peer pressure). Going against the mind of the Church AND the pagans around you is just...pride, being singular, bizarre, crazy?

This year, I deliberately put up my tree and outdoor lights on Christmas Eve. My neighbours must think I'm a nut, but it's actually how Catholics did things, throughout the world. I'll leave everything up until Epiphany. Incidentally, some people in predominantly Catholic cultures are aware that Christmas does not end on Christmas day: students of mine from the Caribbean and Latin America can't understand why people put their decorations up and stop celebrating before Epiphany.