Blog · Newmarket

Taking Christmas lights down in a Newmarket January: ice in the gutters, timing, storage and dead strands

Take seasonal lights down in January on the first mild spell rather than the first free Saturday: with the average January high well below freezing in Newmarket, clips frozen into gutter ice crack and bend the eavestrough lip if they are forced.

Last updated October 28, 2026 · Reviewed by the Newmarket Christmas Lights team

When should Christmas lights come down in Newmarket?

In January, on a mild day. The Electrical Safety Authority's holiday guidance is that decorations should be taken down after the holidays because they are not designed for year-round use, and the Newmarket weather decides which day. Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981 to 2010 normals for the King Smoke Tree station, a few kilometres southwest of town, give January an average high of -3.6 °C and a low of -11.1 °C, with the high at or below freezing on about 22 days of the month. That leaves a handful of thaw days in an average January, and those are the days a takedown is booked for.

Why not just pull them down on a cold day?

Because cold plastic breaks and frozen gutters hold on. January also brings about 31 cm of snow on average at the station. Clips that sit on the eavestrough lip are often frozen into a ridge of ice by mid-month, especially on north-facing eaves. Forcing them out snaps the clip and can bend the gutter lip, and tugging a frozen string lifts shingle tabs on a gable. A professional takedown releases what comes free, leaves frozen sections for a return visit after the next thaw, and tells you which runs those are.

The ladder work is the same as November's, on a colder roof. A two-storey in Stonehaven puts the upper gable well above six metres, and Ontario's O. Reg. 213/91 requires fall protection where a worker could fall more than three metres. Icy shingles and a snowbank at the foot of the ladder are why January roof work is not a weekend chore for most owners.

What does ice in the eavestrough tell me about my house?

Possibly more than the lights do. Ice that builds at the cold edge of a roof is usually a sign of heat escaping from the attic and melting snow higher up, which then refreezes at the eave. If the gutters on your house are packed with ice every January, that is worth raising with a roofer or an insulation contractor; no lighting choice fixes it. On the mature-tree streets of Glenway and elsewhere west of Yonge, gutters that went into winter full of leaves hold more ice, so the November install notes the state of the gutters before the clips go on.

What does a proper takedown include?

1. Removal. Every strand, clip, stake, extension and timer, taken off without lifting shingle tabs or bending the gutter lip.
2. Testing. Each strand is plugged in and checked. ESA's guidance is to inspect lights for damaged cords, plugs and sockets and replace them rather than reuse them, so failed strands are set aside, not packed away for next year.
3. Labelling. Strands are tagged by where they hung: front eave, upper gable, garage peak, spruce, porch railing. Next November each one goes straight back to the run it was cut for.
4. Storage or hand-back. The lights are boxed and returned for your garage or basement, or stored until next season, depending on what the quote says.

The takedown and storage page explains the options, including whether you own the lights or they are supplied with the service each year.

How should I store lights I take down myself?

• Wait for the strings to dry before packing them; a wet strand stored in a sealed box comes out corroded.
• Wind each string loosely around a piece of card or a reel rather than knotting it into a ball.
• Label each one with where it hung and how long it is.
• Store them indoors, somewhere dry, in a box that will not be crushed.
• Throw out anything with cracked sockets, bare wire or a damaged plug. ESA also asks that you never remove the grounding pin from a plug.

Where do dead light strings go in York Region?

Check York Region's lookup first. The Region's East Gwillimbury Household Hazardous Waste and Recycling Depot at 225 Garfield Wright Boulevard accepts electronics from residents at no cost, up to 50 kg per household per day, with proof of residency. The Region's depot page does not list holiday light strings by name, so look them up before you make the trip rather than assuming. Owners in East Gwillimbury have the depot on their doorstep.

What about commercial displays?

Storefronts on Main Street South, Davis Drive and Yonge Street plazas, and condominium entrances come down on a date agreed with the owner or property manager, outside trading hours where possible, and are labelled by location for the next season. See commercial holiday lighting.

Is there a way to skip January entirely?

Yes: permanent lighting. It is built for year-round outdoor exposure, sits in a channel under the eave rather than clipped to the gutter lip, and the end of the season is a colour change in an app. It is the option most Newmarket owners ask about after a January spent waiting for a thaw. Seasonal lights remain the right choice in some cases, such as street-facing facades inside the Main Street South heritage district.

How do I book a takedown?

If the same crew installed your lights, takedown is usually already in the quote; pick an earliest date and the crew books the first suitable mild day after it. If you hung the lights yourself and want them taken down, tested and labelled, the Newmarket cost guide covers how takedown-only work is priced, and you can send a photo of the house through the quote form.

Sources

• Holiday safety - Electrical Safety Authority
• Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010, King Smoke Tree - Environment and Climate Change Canada
• East Gwillimbury Household Hazardous Waste and Recycling Depot - York Region
• O. Reg. 213/91: Construction Projects - Government of Ontario