When Do Christmas Light Installers Take the Lights Down?

You booked the install, the house glowed all season, and now it's New Year's Day. When does the crew come back for the lights — and what do you need to do? Here's how takedown works with a professional installer in Northeast Florida.

The usual window: early January

Most installers take lights down in the first two to three weeks of January. Ours runs from about January 2 to January 15. Most homeowners want the lights on through New Year's Eve, and some like them up until Epiphany on January 6 — the traditional end of the Christmas season — so takedown dates fill around those preferences. You pick a day when you book or when we call in late December.

Why not the day after Christmas?

You can ask for an earlier date, and we'll fit it if we can. But a crew can only take down so many houses a day, and late December is short on working days with the holidays. The first half of January is when the calendar opens up.

What if my HOA sets a deadline?

Many associations in St. Johns and Clay set a date by which holiday décor must come down. Tell us the date when you book, and we schedule your takedown before it. If you're not sure, check your association's guidelines — or ask us and we'll plan for the earliest likely date.

What happens on takedown day

1. Unclip every run. Lights come off the gutters, roof edge, peaks and railings.
2. Remove every clip. Nothing left on the gutters or under the shingles.
3. Unwrap trees and palms from the top down, without scarring the trunk.
4. Collect cords, timers and stakes. The yard is left the way we found it.
5. Test, label and store. Every strand is checked, dead bulbs replaced, and each run labeled by where it goes — front gutter, left gable, garage, palm by the drive.

Most homes take less time to take down than to install. You don't need to be home, as long as we can reach the side yard and any timer you have.

Where the lights go

With all-inclusive seasonal lighting, the lights belong to the installer and come back with the crew. For returning clients, we store them in our bins, labeled for your house, so next year they go back up first and faster. That's a big part of why the second season costs less to hang.

Weather and takedown

January in Jacksonville is usually mild, but rain and wind still move dates. Light rain doesn't stop a takedown; high wind and lightning do. If your day moves, we call and reschedule within the window.

Want them down yourself?

If you hung your own lights and just want them taken down, we can quote takedown on its own. Ask us — we'll also tell you which strands are worth keeping.

And permanent lighting?

Permanent lighting never comes down. The track stays under the roof edge all year, and in January you just switch from Christmas colors to warm white in the app. If you're tired of takedown day, read are permanent Christmas lights worth it?

Leaving lights up longer

Some homeowners want the display through mid-January, for a late family visit or a party. That's fine as long as your HOA allows it; tell us when you book and we'll schedule your takedown toward the end of the window. Lights left up for months, though, are a different story: Florida sun and rain are hard on any strand, clips can become brittle, and leaves and pine needles build up behind the wire. If you'd like lights on the house all year, permanent lighting is built for that and seasonal lights are not.

Is takedown included in the price?

With a full-service installer it should be, and with us it is: every seasonal install includes the January takedown, removing every clip, and storage for returning clients. When you compare quotes, check this line carefully — a low install price with takedown billed separately can end up costing more than an all-inclusive season.

The season at a glance

• October: book and get a written price (early-bird $100 off through October 31).
• Mid-November to about December 10: install.
• Through New Year: lit every evening, service calls included.
• January 2–15: takedown and storage.

More on the calendar in when to book Christmas light installation in Florida, or see takedown & storage.