Mum explains why she takes Christmas tree down at 6pm on December 25

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Mum-of-two Georgia Schofield, 24, from Hartlepool, explains the thoughtful reason she takes her Christmas tree, decorations and stockings down at 6pm on December 25

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Mum takes down decorations at 6pm on Christmas Day

Christmas tradition dictates that your tree should stay up until the ‘Twelfth Night’, but many people prefer to have a deep clean before January 5. Mum-of-two Georgia Schofield chooses to pack her decorations up long before then – in fact, her stockings and baubles don’t even make it to 7pm on December 25.

The 24-year-old mum from Hartlepool went viral online last year after she posted a TikTok video taking down her tree on Christmas Day – and she’ll be doing the same again this year. But Georgia actually has a really sweet reason for so abruptly ending the festivities, despite not everyone agreeing with her.

Speaking to the Mirror, Georgia explained: “It’s my daughter’s birthday on Boxing Day and if it was me, I’d hate the tree being up. So I try and make it as normal as possible for her special day.

“I’ve done it every year so she knows no different, and she’s never requested or questioned it. If I wasn’t her birthday, I would have them up for longer.”

Georgia, who is a dedicated mum to three-year-old Ava and two-year-old Leo, makes up for it by preparing for Christmas extra early.

“My kids’ presents are all bought and wrapped by mid-October and the tree goes up at the end of November. I like to be organised,” she said.

Then on December 25 at around 6pm, it’s her tradition to remove all traces of Christmas, just a couple of hours after polishing off her roasties.

“We get up early and open our presents, then get ready to head to my mum’s house for dinner,” Georgia explained.

“At 4pm we’ll have a buffet and the kids are both in bed by 5.30pm. That’s when I pack away all of Christmas and replace it with Ava’s birthday decorations.

“Last year she had a Paw Patrol theme and she will again this year. I’ll get out balloons, banners, presents and decorate the table with a cover and plates.

“We usually go to Pizza Hut for lunch and have a party buffet for tea.”

Though having a child’s birthday on Boxing Day isn’t easy and takes a lot of forward-planning.

“It’s a nightmare buying a birthday cake. I’ve ordered a personalised Paw Patrol one for this year and the baker will drop it off on Christmas Eve,” Georgia said.

She then tries to keep it hidden until Ava’s birthday, where she’ll blow out her candles without a bauble in sight.

Recalling the day Ava was born, Georgia said: “She was due January 17 but my waters broke early on Christmas morning.

“I was fuming that I missed Christmas dinner so my mum brought it to the hospital, but it had been microwaved too many times to eat.

“It’s quite hard having a birthday so close to Christmas as there’s only so much you can buy, but we can’t change it.”

While lots of people have praised Georgia for her “wonderful” efforts to make Boxing Day all about Ava, others think she should keep the tree up.

The viral video, which has garnered 2.6 million views, is flooded with thousands of comments from fellow parents.

“I love this, think it’s really thoughtful that you bring Christmas celebrations to an end to celebrate her birthday,” one person wrote.

Though another said: “Why not keep the Christmas vibe and birthday vibe both on at the same time?”

Someone else explained: “My daughter’s is 29th and I take the tree down so she knows there’s a difference between Xmas and her birthday.”

“I didn’t expect my TikTok to take off so much and I had a lot of mixed opinions but I focus on the positive ones,” Georgia said.

When do you take your Christmas decorations down? Let us know in the comments.