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While many households wait until the traditional Twelfth Night to get rid of their Christmas tree, mother-of-two Georgia Schofield takes hers down on the big day
Georgia Schofield’s home is always completely back to normal by 6pm on Christmas Day.
The mum-of-two likes to get ahead of the post-festive declutter and takes down her Christmas tree and decorations when her kids go to bed on December 25. She packs away her stockings and baubles, takes down her tree, and boxes everything up ready for the next year.
Georgia goes viral online every year when she films herself clearing her living room for TikTok – but it’s all for a special reason. It’s her daughter’s birthday on Boxing Day, and she likes to make sure the whole day is focused on little Ava, aged five, instead of combining Christmas with her birthday.
Georgia, 27, previously told The Mirror: “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 it wasn’t her birthday, I would have them up for longer.”
This year, Georgia has decided to take Ava bowling and out for lunch in Hartlepool, followed by a cosy takeaway at home. “The tree will be coming down on Christmas Day evening as usual, after we’ve had our roast and once the kids are in bed,” the mum-of-two explained. “On Boxing Day, we’re planning to order a Domino’s for tea for Ava.”
Georgia, who is a dedicated mum to Ava and four-year-old Leo, makes up for the abrupt ending to Christmas by decorating her house extra early in November. She explained: “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.”
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 she packs away all of Christmas and replaces it with Ava’s birthday decorations. Georgia swaps the tinsel and fairy lights for balloons, banners and presents, and decorates the table with a cover and plates. She will order Ava’s birthday cake to be delivered on Christmas Eve and try to keep it hidden until December 26.
Recalling the day Ava was born, almost six years ago to the day, Georgia remembered: “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.”
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. “Why not keep the Christmas vibe and birthday vibe both on at the same time?” a TikToker asked, while another said: “I love this, think it’s really thoughtful that you bring Christmas celebrations to an end to celebrate her birthday.”
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.” Sharing her response, Georgia said: “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.”
When do you take your Christmas decorations down? Let us know in the comments.