Do you?

It would be great to sort out the year in advance. I always used to. Looking at last year's diary and kitchen calendar is nothing but crossings out and TBAs from March onwards.

Oh, my 2020 planner got abandoned for a good six months! Picked it up again in the autumn and I’m thinking about what I can achieve that doesn’t rely on going out and doing things...

Good grief, no "big" cleaning jobs until well after new year has got going. Just the routine stuff, as it come along.

My mother was an enthusiastic cleaner, always washing paintwork, cobwebbing etc.

I am not so enthusiastic but do it on a 'needs to be done' basis.
I may work through the house in the Spring, all being well, but it will take some time.

It was my ‘ritual’ as well. Getting rid of all bad vibes. But it got too stressful and tiring ...

Downstairs always has a good dusting and vacuuming after the decorations come down.
That will do.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

What happened to the twelve days of Christmas? Heavens its not that long to enjoy our tree, cards and decorations.
Just don’t understand the Boxing Day clear out and cleaning.

Our decorations don’t come down until 6th January - in this house it’s Christmas until Twelfth Night*. I like to put off ‘getting back to normal’ when that ‘normal’ is a thoroughly dreary January.
So no, and in any case the house usually only gets a really good blitz if guests are coming to stay. So it’s just normal cleaning as and when it looks as if it needs it.

Presumably the NYE blitz is largely a Scottish thing.
I don’t like New Year’s Eve anyway - so often it’s been so much hype followed by a let-down.

*with a bit of luck the mince pies and chocolates might even last until then. ?

Well, looking at the state of the kitchen after I made soup and bread, I’m definitely going to need to do a deep clean!

Noooo definitely not. Who cleans doors they surely clean themselves as they open and close. Outside doors are cleaned by the window cleaner.

Every single year ! There is not an inch of the house that wont be cleaned between today and the 31st. Every bin including the coal scuttle will be scrubbed as will the steps and the doors. Not a single dust mote will be allowed to hide, every inch of skirting board will be scrubbed and all of the lightshades will be taken down and cleaned. Beds will changed, mats and rugs taken out and beaten and every chair leg polished. Then i shall collapse in a heap and vow never to do it again but i know next year will be just the same.

Not a chance! None of our decorations come down before the 6th of January and I feel obliged to run a duster round then, but it’d be a bit of a waste of time beforehand.

I’m from Durham too, Georgesgran and the traditions you mentioned could well have been in place. The only one I remember though is my dad’s insistence that the drink you have to welcome in the New Year should be a good one, as it sets the tone for the rest of the year. Mine’s usually a brandy.

@Georgesgran I was always told the same by my Gran - she was from the South, not the North. I think it was reinforced for me by the Scottish side of the family though

My decorations don't come down till Twelfth night either but I only decorate the hall and living room and they had a good clean before decorating.

NO - will have a good Spring clean when Spring comes, and not before. Same with decorating- never ever until I can have windows opened.

I thought it was called Spring cleaning for a good reason.
In the days when there were coal fires and there was more dust, then the house got a thorough clean when the weather got warmer and fires were no longer lit.

No-one's visiting - it's lockdown.
I do flick a duster over the doors occasionally as they are panelled, Millie, one of those dusters on a long handle.
But not with any vigour.

No.l normally give it a good going over on 6th Jan when the deccies come down.

Afraid not. Our tree came down today, so the living room got a good vacuum and dusting, but that's it. Normal cleaning on a normal routing for ending the year.

My DH and I used to argue about taking down decorations, since my family kept up tree until Epiphany, but his family took it down early. Since he doesn't mind to do it, I have gone with his tradition to have it down by the New Year. Today was a bit earlier than usual, but then it has been an unusual year. I thanked the tree for giving me joy for the time it was up.

I was once talking to an older lady here in our village in Germany. She said they used to do this before Christmas Eve and Easter Saturday. Even to the extent that they would strip the neds and sleep under uncovered duvets that night so that they could put clean fresh covers on on Christmas and Easter mornings.

I don't know how people can do it all in one day. As someone says above, it would take me about three weeks to do a thorough clean of the whole house.

My mother certainly never did anything like this. Her house was always clean and tidy.

I clean little and often. It seems to be effective. We’re not particularly tidy, lots of books and magazines about. DH and the cat never complain ?
Decorations, cards and fairy light stay up until twelfth night, then I resume buying weekly fresh flowers for the sitting room windowsill.

No only usual cleaning and washing. Spring cleaning in March or roundabouts.

Funnily enough I usually do a fairly major clean before Christmas, but that’s because we usually have guests staying. I did a less major one this year, no guests, but I do like everything looking especially nice for Christmas.

Berylsgranny no, not me!

My 'spring cleaning' doesn't happen either these days.

I just have the odd good day, usually in summer (when I have some energy) to do a bit of window cleaning etc.

Surely, right now, it's hibernation time?

Yes Hetty, agreed.
The Danish call this time Hygge, they have the right idea ?

(grannypiper, I must invite you to stay!)