When to put up and take down Christmas lights: the installer's season calendar
Most homeowners don't pick a date for their Christmas lights at random. The day they want the lights on, and the day they want them gone, come from traditions that are centuries older than electric lights. For an installer, those dates set the whole season: when the phone rings, when the crew is booked solid, and when removals start. This guide lays out the traditional dates, what they mean for customer expectations, and a month-by-month calendar for booking, installing and taking lights down.
Where the dates come from
Christmas lights grew out of the custom of putting candles on Christmas trees, which began in Germany and spread through Europe and North America. Electric tree lights followed in the 1880s, and by the mid-1900s strings of outdoor lights on rooflines, eaves and porches were common in the United States. The calendar people decorate by is older than any of it.
In many countries, Christmas lights and other decorations traditionally go up on or around the first day of Advent, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. In the United States, Thanksgiving weekend has become the practical starting line for many households. On the other end, the two traditional days for taking decorations down are Twelfth Night (January 5) and Candlemas (February 2). Taking decorations down before Twelfth Night, or leaving them up past Candlemas, has historically been considered bad luck.
Key dates for the 2026–27 season
Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26, 2026. Many residential customers want lights on for the weekend that follows.
First Sunday of Advent: November 29, 2026. The traditional start of the decorating season in much of Europe and in many churchgoing households in the U.S.
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2026.
Twelfth Night: Tuesday, January 5, 2027, followed by Epiphany on January 6. The first traditional takedown date.
Candlemas: Tuesday, February 2, 2027. The last traditional date; decorations still up after this are, by custom, overdue.
Install early, light on the customer's date
The lights-on date and the install date don't have to be the same day. Most customers care about when the lights come on, not when the crew was on the roof. Installing in October and early November, then setting the timer to start on Thanksgiving evening or the first Sunday of Advent, spreads the work across more weeks without missing anyone's date.
A photocell timer makes this simple: install the full roofline, test it, then program the timer to stay off until the customer's chosen night. Tell the customer the lights are installed and tested, and give them the exact night they'll come on.
Commercial jobs go first
Businesses, shopping centers and offices usually want lights up before the holiday shopping season starts, which puts their deadline ahead of most homes. Schedule commercial installs in October and the first half of November so they're finished before residential volume peaks.
Commercial jobs also tend to be larger and need more socket wire and bulbs per site, so order their materials first. The C9 vs C7 for commercial installs guide covers bulb choice for storefronts and trees.
The installer's month-by-month calendar
August and September: set pricing, contact last year's customers, and open the booking calendar. The pricing guide covers per-foot and per-job quotes.
September and October: measure booked homes and order materials. Use the spool math guide and C9 install kit sizing to turn rooflines into spools, bulbs and clips.
October to mid-November: commercial installs, then early residential installs with timers set to the customer's lights-on date.
Mid-November to the first week of December: peak residential installs around Thanksgiving and the first Sunday of Advent. Keep spare bulbs, sockets and plugs on the truck for same-day fixes.
December: service calls for dead sections, tripped outlets and storm damage.
January 2 through early February: removals. Customers who follow tradition will want lights up through Twelfth Night (January 5); schedule them after that date, and finish the route before Candlemas (February 2).
February and March: sort, test and store each customer's lights so next season's install is a reload, not a rebuild. See the customer-per-box storage system.
Ask for the dates when you book
Put two questions on every booking: what night should the lights come on, and when should they come down? Some customers want lights on the day after Thanksgiving; some wait for Advent. Some want them gone on January 2; others keep them up through Twelfth Night or later. Writing both dates on the job at booking time lets you build the install route and the removal route in advance instead of taking calls in January.
Offering the removal date up front also helps sell removal and storage as part of the job, so the customer isn't left with lights on the roof in February.
Ordering for the season
Most installers order the bulk of their inventory in September and October and top up during the season as jobs are added. Christmas Light Supplier ships every order free the same day it's placed, with no minimum and no fees, so a mid-season reorder for C9 bulbs, socket spools or clips doesn't have to wait for a bulk threshold.
Frequently asked questions
When should Christmas lights go up?
Traditionally on or around the first Sunday of Advent, which is November 29 in 2026. In the U.S., many households turn lights on Thanksgiving weekend. Installers often install earlier and set a timer for the customer's lights-on date.
When should Christmas lights come down?
The two traditional dates are Twelfth Night (January 5) and Candlemas (February 2). Taking decorations down before Twelfth Night or leaving them up after Candlemas has historically been considered bad luck.
When is Twelfth Night in 2027?
Twelfth Night is Tuesday, January 5, 2027, the evening before Epiphany on January 6.
Can I install Christmas lights in October?
Yes. Many installers start in October, especially for commercial jobs, and use a timer so the lights stay off until the customer's chosen date.
When do Christmas light installers schedule removals?
Usually from early January through early February, starting after New Year's or after Twelfth Night (January 5) for customers who follow that tradition, and finishing before Candlemas on February 2.