it’s the monday giggles…
Photo courtesy Pinterest
Christmas Day has come and gone but don’t be tempted to take your Christmas decorations down too quickly because tradition stipulates it should stay up for a little while longer!
However, that won’t stop some people who have most likely already stripped their homes of all things red & green and packed them tightly away for next Season.
Photo courtesy of Pinterest.
However, Christian tradition, dating back to the 4th century, marks the Eve of the Epiphany (or 12 nights after Christmas) as the time to take down your tree and pack away your decorations again.
Photo courtesy Pinterest
That means you still have some time left to enjoy the Christmas twinkling lights!
Yes, because the Eve of the Epiphany falls on the 5th or 6th of January in 2019 – depending on whether you count December 25th as day one – there is still ample time for egg-nog sharing & Christmas merriment to be made!
The Epiphany is also a celebration in itself, marking the Three Kings visiting Baby Jesus in his manger in Bethlehem, with their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. This is why the tradition of visiting loved one’s, during the 12 Days of Christmas, became a beloved tradition for many people throughout the centuries!
I remember fondly, as a child, making the rounds to family & friend’s homes with our parents to gather around their Christmas trees where they would have the gifts they’d received, from good old Saint Nick, displayed. There were even a few years our mother would not allow my sister or I to put away our presents until each of our Aunts or Uncles had made their annual Christmas visit.
And snowstorms or flu-epidemics were often not deterrents!
I do understand that some people believe that you may have bad luck in the New Year if you take your tree down after midnight on December 31st.
But as for myself…I’m not that superstitious.
And even if I were a ‘tidge worried…let’s not forget there is always the traditional pork & sauerkraut dinner on New Year’s Day to ward off any bad luck for the New Year, which may have been incurred by leaving the Christmas tree fully intact until the Epiphany!
When do you take your Christmas decorations down?
holiday hugs n’ blessings to you, no matter when you do!
hugsnblessings 
Much joy to you and all of your minions Dawn for this coming New Year 🙂
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Thank you kindly, Julie! Always a joy to share their giggles with those who take the time to stop in for a read. Hugs to you for being one….
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🥰
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Happiness and many memories of JOY to you and your family. I am so thankful that in our house ie David’s and mine it has simply been something ‘we do’. All decorations including lights etc etc are not removed until the 6th January. I know traditionally
Epiphany BUT in our hearts after Christmas is hours and evenings when it is so peaceful to sit surrounded still by the beauty of the unusual but massively thankful in our hearts for our lives and blessings. We love to simply sit and enjoy. There was an element of stress but also abundance of JOY when over a four day Christmas period we had visits from our three children and five grandchildren. Littlies are incredibly active and 19 month old Mahlee decided today to ‘pack up’ all the tree decorations to take home with her in a plastic bag. All were restored but now Grandma and granddad want to sit in absolute PEACE and remember. Happy New Year! The little dog was so good with the children but a bit scared of big strong three year old D who wanted to HUG HER all the time. Char-lee decided to run and hide outside under a tree a long distance from the house. Blessings!
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What a delightful tale of a life FULLY lived. And in this Chapter of your story…lived around a special evergreen tree. Hugs to you for sharing said tale with thee!
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Hi Dawn, it has always been January 6 in our house, even though I remind him every year, that man of mine is always eager to ‘strip the house bare’, but they stay put, and I take them down when the time is right. Didn’t know about the sauerkraut and funnily enough, that’s exactly what we had. Glad we’ve warded off the bad spirits. Happy New Year to you and yours.
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I don’t take the tree down until it becomes a fire hazard. And the snowman and snowflake decorations stay up until the snow outside has melted, which in this part of the country is usually sometime in March or April. 🙂
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