Taking Down Christmas Decorations Epiphany
When is the best time to take your Christmas tree down? Once Christmas Day and Twixmas passes, attention often turns to tidying the house and packing up the tree, including decorations (such as wreaths, lights and garlands) and cards. There's often confusion – and debate – about the right time to do this. But you shouldn't be tempted to take your Christmas decorations down too quickly because tradition stipulates that it should stay up for a little longer than you might think.
Twelfth Night
Christian tradition dating back to the 4th century marks Twelfth Night, the end of Christmas and the Eve of the Epiphany (Christian feast day), as the time to take down your Christmas tree and pack away your decorations again.
That means you can enjoy the twinkling lights for a little while longer, because Twelfth Night falls on either 5th or 6th January 2021 – and the dates depend on tradition. Be warned though: leaving your decorations up after this date is thought to bring bad luck.
After Advent, which is best described as the period of four weeks before Christmas in preparation and celebration of the birth of Jesus, Christmas celebrations traditionally started on Christmas Day and lasted for 12 days (known as the 12 Days of Christmas), finishing on the evening of 5th January, known as Twelfth Night.
The Epiphany on 6th January is a celebration in itself, marking the Magi – the Three Kings or Wise Men – visiting baby Jesus in his manger in Bethlehem, with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Mark Scott
The Church of England celebrates Twelfth Night on 5th January, and the season of Epiphany from 6th January to 2nd February. However, some mark 6th January as Twelfth Night, counting the 12 days after Christmas Day, which is where the confusion stems from.
'Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany and is the night, tradition says, when Christmas decorations should be taken down,' a Church of England spokesperson told The Telegraph. 'Epiphany, on the other hand, is the day when the Church, theologically, marks the arrival of the wise men to give their gifts to the baby Jesus: the day when some will add the wise men to their nativity scenes.'
New Year's Eve
There is another, perhaps lesser-known, tradition that in fact states that you should take your Christmas tree down on New Year's Eve (31st December) before midnight. For the superstitious types, it is thought you may have bad luck in the New Year if you keep your tree up longer than this period.
House Beautiful/Dan Duchars
Roman Catholics
However, Roman Catholic families can choose to keep their tree up until 2nd February, according to the traditions of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
The Queen
Elsewhere, the Queen actually leaves her Christmas decorations up even longer, up until 6th February, which marks the anniversary of her father, King George VI's death. He passed away in 1952 at Sandringham House where the royal family spend Christmas. In a normal year*, the Queen typically stays at Sandringham until early February to mark the anniversary before returning to Buckingham Palace, so the decorations would stay up until the Queen and Prince Philip end their festive stay.
*This year, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Queen and Prince Philip will remain at Windsor Castle this Christmas.
What to do with your real Christmas tree
suteishi Getty Images
While there are many traditions, whenever you decide to take down your Christmas tree, don't forget to do your bit for the environment. If you have a real Christmas tree, remember that it can be recycled for composting and wood chipping – the chippings can then be used locally in parks or woodland areas.
Some councils will collect Christmas trees with normal garden waste, some will have designated collections and others will have special drop-off points. Visit your local authority's website for further guidance. You'll also find that many garden centres are happy to take old trees too. And, if you have a potted Christmas tree, remember you can plant it in the garden to give it life beyond the festive season.
Meanwhile, if you have rented a real Christmas tree this year, ensure you organise with your tree supplier when your tree will be collected.
Elsewhere, if you have an artificial Christmas tree, take a more eco-friendly approach and reduce waste by storing it and re-using each year. According to the Carbon Trust, an artificial Christmas tree needs to be used for 10 Christmases for it to have a lower carbon footprint than a real one.
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Taking Down Christmas Decorations Epiphany
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