There's always a moment when it’s time to take the lights and ornaments off the tree and pack them away until it’s Christmas once again. As for when to take down the decor, that's really up to you. Some people might take their trees down on New Year's Day,

Howard County residents can recycle live Christmas trees through the county’s Merry Mulch program, in which the once-festive plants will be turned into compost and mulch at the Alpha Ridge Landfill composting facility in Marriottsville rather than being sent to the landfill.