These things take time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. At first it was too cold out. Then the ladder was frozen so I couldn’t expand it (I live in a cold climate…this actually did happen). Though the dark winter months it got dark too early (and I wasn’t about to deal with it at night). Plus whenever I was willing to risk my neck on a snowy roof there were ice dams to remove. Finally, I just didn’t want to do it.
But at some point I had to get off my ass and get the job done…so I have taken down the Christmas lights.
- Nobody complained. This is one of the reasons I live on a rural homestead. Bitch about my Christmas lights straggling into March and I’ll sportingly give you a three step head start before I reach for the shotgun. Bossy suburban neighborhoods have nightmares about guys like me moving in.
- I can leave Christmas lights up until March and still get them down before Congress passes the 2011 budget.
- Only nine months before I’m supposed to put those bastards back up.
Adaptive Curmudgeon 
You’re supposed to take them down??
So I’m told. I’ve never really understood why.