ADVERTISEMENT The British Royal Family is known for being trendsetters in things like fashion and, well, basically everything else. One thing that they are practically professionals at, however, is holiday decorating. They always have the most impressive Christmas decorations, especially lights. Prince William and his lovely wife Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge are typically considered the ones to beat when it comes to the holidays and being festive. There is someone else, though, who probably outranks them in holiday decorating status. This is Queen Elizabeth II and she has a special story behind her Christmas decor. The Queen of the United Kingdom is technically above the law so in theory, she can do whatever she wants. Instead of committing any crimes, the Queen does something most people consider to be bad luck, or maybe just lazy. She keeps her Christmas decorations up until February! Although it seems a little strange, there is a good reason behind why she does it, and it truly is heartbreaking. This is why you’ll see Christmas trees in her festive residence, Sandringham House, until February. The festive monarch You might have heard of Queen Elizabeth II, she’s been around for a while. The Queen of the United Kingdom has ruled since 1953 and is one of the most beloved people in the whole country. She has faced many difficult situations during her 65-year reign, including a couple of assassination attempts. The Queen celebrated her 92nd birthday in 2018, and she is still going strong. Over the years she has suffered several heartbreaking moments, but the reason why she keeps her Christmas decorations up until February will melt your heart.

Royal Family Since she was born in 1926 she has built a pretty large family, welcoming new arrivals in recent years. Her children are all approaching their older years, but she still sits proudly on the throne. Prince Charles is her eldest son, and he will sit on the throne when she passes away. Elizabeth II married Prince Philip in 1947 and they have had four children together. Their children are Anne, Andrew, Edward, and, of course, Charles whose son Prince William will sit on the throne after his father. Loving her decorations If there is one thing the Queen takes pride in over anything else, it’s her Christmas decorations. She loves making her festive residence Sandringham House look as colorful as possible, and she actually likes to be super involved with putting up the decorations herself. Someone of the Queen’s stature could have an expert interior designer come and do it for her, but she loves to set the scene in her own way. Although she is attached to the decorations, that is not why she keeps them up until February.

Christmas comes early It seems each and every year Christmas begins earlier. Some stores will already have their decorations out and in pride of place before Halloween has even been and gone. Some people go to great lengths to decorate their homes and make them as fun as possible, but there is a problem. Taking the decorations back down can be a huge effort. Some people put off taking their Christmas decorations for as long as possible, but if you leave them up for too long people might think you’re being lazy. Bad luck Leaving your decorations up for too long is considered bad luck by many people. Traditionally Christmas was a 12-day holiday beginning on December 25, and if you left your decorations up after January 6, you’re supposed to leave them up all year. Despite the stigma attached to leaving the decorations up, the Queen is risking bad luck by leaving hers up for a whole month after she’s supposed to have taken them down. She has followed this tradition for many years, so perhaps the alleged bad luck isn’t doing her any harm!

Her father When the Queen was given the throne the situation couldn’t have been any sadder for her, and maybe she felt as though she’d already had enough bad luck. The nature of the throne changing involves the passing or abdication of the previous monarch, and Elizabeth’s father was the King before she ruled. King George VI ruled, but when he passed away suddenly it was up to Elizabeth to take up the throne, despite grieving for her father. Losing her dad weighed heavy on her but she had to fulfill her duties. Trip to Kenya At the time King George VI passed away, Elizabeth was on a trip to Kenya. She had just celebrated her 25th birthday and had no expectations of sitting on the throne anytime soon. George VI passed away in his sleep at Sandringham House when he was only 56 years old, and as the news reached Elizabeth, she flew straight home. Her tour of Kenya was cut short and it would have to wait for another time – right now she needed to be with her family.

Deep sorrow The passing of her father came as a huge shock, and it had a big effect on the Queen. Despite the period of grief she was going through, there needed to be a successor to the throne, and that was her. She never shied away from her duties and wrote a personal letter to King George’s private secretary as the new Queen. For her, it was hard to imagine she had been traveling and having a good time while back home an event occurred that would change her life forever. The letter Elizabeth II was now the ruling monarch, even though she was just 25 years old. Just one month after her father had passed away she wrote a letter to Sir Eric Mieville, her father’s secretary. The Queen wrote that it felt unbelievable George was gone, and it was only after some time had passed she realized how much he was missed. She signed the bottom of the letter “Elizabeth R,” which was her new signature as Queen.

Thankful The Queen continued in her letter to Mieville that she was having a tough time of things, but she was glad her father went peacefully. Although the grief was difficult for her to deal with, the Queen wrote that her family was a great comfort to her. She told Mieville that her husband had been helping her get through the tough period along with her then two children. Princes Andrew and Edward had not yet been born.

Leaning on family In her letter to her father’s secretary, she told Mieville that her mother and sister had been a great comfort to her. She said that her mother, also Elizabeth, and sister, Margaret, had been amazing despite the fact they too had lost so much when George passed. The Queen added that she was incredibly grateful to have her family so close by during this very sad time in her life. Thanks to the support from her loved ones, Queen Elizabeth II was able to begin her reign as painlessly as possible.

The Queen Mother It wasn’t just The Queen who lost a lot when her father passed, his wife lost everything too. Her husband was gone, and she lost her title as Queen consort. George was the rightful monarch so only his heir could rule. Despite losing her husband in the ‘50s, the Queen’s mother was a great support to her daughter and became one of the most popular Royals. She lived until she was 101 years old and was known to the public for her dry sense of humor and love of art.

Having trouble with them The Queen has grown fond of her Christmas decorations during her rule, but there are some in the palace who sabotage them. Perhaps because she leaves them up for so long she has discovered the younger members of her family like to pull the decorations off the tree. When Princes William and Harry were young, they went to their grandmother’s palace for Christmas but destroyed her decorations. William’s young children have picked up where their father and uncle left off and carry on the tradition of messing up the Queen’s decorations.

Nipping it in the bud It’s hard for the Queen to see her young relatives destroy one of the things she loves the most. Luckily she has been ruling the United Kingdom for a while and has picked up a few tactics for dealing with rude guests, perhaps from her interactions with all kinds of people from around the world. To make sure the young children do not mess up her decorations, the Queen makes sure to get them involved in the decorating in the first place. That way they don’t want to mess up their own hard work.

Royal Christmas The Royal Family have to follow a wide range of rules which might seem unfair to us, but it’s just how they do things. One rule for Christmas time is that only close and immediate family are invited to Christmas day at Sandringham House. Even though Kate Middleton had been in the family for years, it wasn’t until she married Prince William that she was allowed to spend time with her partner at Christmas. So was leaving the decoration up this long just another quirky Royal rule?

Breaking tradition Although the Royal Family like to stick to their conventions, they aren’t against breaking them if it suits. While Kate Middleton had to wait until she married into the family, Prince Harry’s new wife Meghan Markle didn’t. Last Christmas she had not yet married Harry but was still invited to the family Christmas day. That’s because Harry had to ask special permission for his partner to be invited to the family Christmas day. Now they are married, Harry won’t be begging and pleading with his grandmother for Meghan’s invite.

Support for George VI Although the Queen was settling into her new role as monarch shortly after her father passed away, his memory lived on. George VI had received much praise from the people of Britain after he chose to remain in the country during the Second World War. He could have taken his family and fled to somewhere much safer, but in staying, he helped to keep morale up. He was loved by many in the United Kingdom, and the Queen wanted to honor her father in her own way.

Extended Christmas The reason why the Queen keeps her Christmas decorations up until February is to honor her father. He passed away on February 6, so she keeps her decorations up until that day. It helps to keep his memory alive and is a way for Elizabeth II to celebrate everything her father did for her and her country while he was alive. Each year the Queen will not allow the decorations to come down until she marks the anniversary of her father passing away in his sleep.

Queen’s Christmas Message The Queen is very busy during the festive period. First of all, she insists on putting her decorations up herself, and Sandringham House is no shoebox apartment in New York, it’s huge! Then, she and her close family exchange their gifts on Christmas Eve before she also delivers the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day. Her speech is broadcast across the whole country as she addresses her public every year at 3pm. During the speech she rounds up everything that has happened the previous year, while giving her thoughts on major events.

Queen’s legacy Her father might have been a much-loved monarch, but so too is Queen Elizabeth II. Her reign began with courage, and she has continued to be brave throughout the following 65 years. She helped the country recover from the Second World War, and has been pivotal in decolonizing many African and Caribbean nations during her rule. The Queen has given many countries their powers back after being subjected to British rule during the years of the empire.

Christmas until February As long as the Queen is alive and spending the festive period in Sandringham House, she will continue to have Christmas until February. After all, she’s the Queen so who can tell her not to? She does so to keep the memory of her father alive as his time on the throne was important for the United Kingdom. It’s fitting that the Queen honors the memory of her father with her own personal touch and she will hope Charles keeps the tradition going when she is gone.

Doing what she pleases Because she’s, well, the Queen of England, she can basically do whatever she pleases. After all, no one is going to tell her no, right? She rules the land and is allowed to create her own traditions; she earned that right to say the least. Elizabeth II keeps her Christmas decorations up until February, but there are also a few other holiday things that she loves about the winter time. She truly is a festive woman.

Christmas tree, O Christmas tree One of the Queen’s favorite parts of Christmas decorating is obviously the tree. In fact, Elizabeth II has a tree in every one of her residences. They typically arrive at the end of November each year and are decorated to the pristine detail in order to create the beautiful masterpiece of a final product. Some of the trees are as large as 20 feet tall, such as the one at Windsor Castle. Now that is a big tree!

Christmas bonding Other holiday traditions of the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family include going to church mass together for Christmas, gift giving, and family meals. The whole family spends the holidays together and enjoy some much needed holiday spirit. Christmas time family bonding is so important to the Queen, she even invited Meghan Markle to spend the holidays with the Royal Family in 2017. This actually broke tradition because Meghan and Harry weren’t married yet.