According To Tradition - Christmas Decorations

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.

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.

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. 🙂

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.

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.

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

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!



gd

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.

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

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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

Nothing wrong with keeping the decorations up if it gives you pleasure. I used to know someone who kept them up permanently.

There is a wonderful shop in Saltzburg which sells the most beautiful hand made decorations the year round. There are people who collect the vintage ones.

There are no hard rules - at least in my house. But generally outside lights go up the weekend before Thanksgiving and indoor Christmas comes out after T’giv. Everything is finished by the first wknd in December.

Now, about putting it all away… that’s where it really fluctuates. Outside is off after New Year’s but indoors is more like “Mmm, take your time.”

When I moved into my condo 23 yrs ago, it was beautiful during the holidays. Now there are fewer lights outside. Are they lazy or non-believers? Too bad.
USA Gundy

We turned the lights off on the 5th and took everything down yesterday

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I was brought up to believe that if you didn’t take your decorations down they needed to stay up all year to keep bad luck away. Anyone else heard this?

I took mine down on the 6th,Epiphany, my partners birthday is on the 7th, so all decorations are gone. I also do a deep clean and organise all the Dec's in boxes for ease next year.

Lin663

They are supposed to come down BY 12th night, not ON 12th Night….i have always understood 12th night to be 5th January

This is what I said in my initial post. Is it the 5th or the 6th. ON or BY.

I did what my mother always did. On the 6th. But if I had got fed up with them prior, they would have come down earlier.
But I never do get fed up of them

I never put any up. It saves a lot of hassle.

Nephew took down his xmas tree a few days ago to the evident annoyance of the cat who keeps going over to sniff in the place where it was! He liked to sit watching the blinking lights - cat not nephew.

They are supposed to come down BY 12th night, not ON 12th Night….i have always understood 12th night to be 5th January

Bazza

Why can’t you just take them down when you’ve had enough of them?! I usually take ours down on or around January 1st because to me by then it’s all over. Colder European countries I have visited call them winter decorations and don’t seem to take them down until February. Surely the choice is yours.

Of course the choice is yours. As I said above 'each to their own'

My sister usually takes hers down on New Years day.

I was talking about Traditions.