Are your Christmas decorations still up? In Denver (and the metro parts of Colorado) many folks believe it's ok to leave your decorations up through the month of January in accordance with the National Western Stock Show, but once it's over, so is the holiday season. But how did this tradition get started?
For most, that answer is lost in the throngs of history but and article in the Steamboat Pilot believes the tradition was started in 1943. The article stated city leaders used the lights as giant welcoming sign to all of the people who traveled to Colorado for the National Western Stock Show. As most know, that number is now in the hundreds of thousands. The article also says that tour buses transporting the visitors would make stops to show off the lights and other attractions, speakers switched from carols to country tunes, and often stock show officials and city leaders encouraged folks to get out during their down time to see the beautifully lit city.
The Denver Zoo had their lights taken down by a very playful guest which you can see below. Hopefully your decorations come down is a less aggressive fashion