According To Tradition - Christmas Decorations

Twelve nights counting from Christmas day means 5th January. Counting from Boxing day makes it 6th January.

Mine are usually taken down before New year. I've had enough of them by then. I am not superstitious on any way. It really doesn't matter.

On New Years Day I wake up and put everything away! I have had enough by then and want the house back to normal. I feel it is all over after New Years Eve so have never waited until the "correct" date. It is nice to start the new year with a cleaning and tidying of the house!

According to medieval superstition Christmas decorations should be taken down by Candlemass, 2 February, so don't panic if you haven't taken them down yet. Later superstition says by Twelfth Night, 5 December.

I now do 1st Dec until 1st January and take them down on the 2nd. I think a month is enough.

Up on Christmas Eve and down on Boxing Day.
And yes I am for real

Mine came down on Boxing Day.
Christmas was gone, looking forward to a New Year and hoping it's a good one.

I take them down when convenient and have time. For this year and last I haven't had any decorations up at all and I find it quite satisfying not being dragged into the tertible commercialism out there now. Definitely beginning to believe what I have been told by religious bodies ie Jesus did not feel his birth significant but the circumstances of his death to more so.

Years ago, my 2 GDs begged us to leave the tree up. It was in the formal LR (parlor) so we ended up leaving it up for 3 years! When GDs visited, we would sit in that room and gaze at that tree! It was the most magical tree! My husband had 'PopPop's Tree' a half tree flat against a wall in the den. He would decorate it every year. It was tall, but took very little space as it was flat against the wall, only the front side with lots of branches. I had bought it at a garage sale for $3!



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Mine down for NY. Had enough by then....

Christmas is only commercial if you let it be. Shops cannot make you buy, you do not have to look at adverts, still less respond to them.

Oh dear. It's the 8th and I still haven't got round to it. At least I've managed to keep up with some New Year's resolutions but that has taken up the time I needed to dismantle the decorations. DH has offered to help so I've deposited a washing basket near the tree for him to out everything in.

I hope I'll find the time to clean up then, because I am flying to the UK early on Wednesday morning and still have a long "to-do" list.

It's only unlucky if you think it is and are superstitious

In fact, I read somewhere that the Three Kings took several months to travel to see Jesus. It wouldn't have been possible to do that journey in 12 days.

So leave them up as long as you like. 🙂

Grew up in Poland and traditionally Christmas trees were taken down on Shrove Tuesday. But then they we’re not put up and dressed until the first star appeared on Christmas Eve.

Here in Germany in our town the junior fire brigade organise a tree collection something like the first Saturday after the 6th. We saw ours up and burn it on the fire.

In the days leading up to Shrove Tuesday it's party season and everywhere is decorated with streamers, witches and masks - Carnival is writ really large.