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| Downton Abbey |
It is funny what a hot button topic this is. I saw on Instagram a popular social influencer saying that she had taken down her Christmas tree and put away all Christmas decorations the day after Christmas. She got lots of comments with people agreeing that they couldn't wait until Christmas was over to take it all down. The vast majority of commenters took down their decorations on the 26th!
I suspect these folks may have some OCD issues. Or their Christmas decorations are in serious need of an upgrade. LOL. I am the polar opposite. I think homes never look as beautiful as when they are decorated for Christmas. I think the house looks a bit sad and empty when it all comes down.
Other people take their tree and decorations down on New Year's Day. What? No football games?
I was brought up that you leave the tree up until the Epiphany. I have always loved the tradition of it and that it extends the season.
What is this tradition?
Christian tradition says you should take down the tree on the 12th night of Christmas, also known as the Eve of Epiphany. The Eve of Epiphany, also called Three Kings' Day, marks the day when the three kings or "wise men'"came to see the baby Jesus in Bethlehem and proclaimed him king. Epiphany falls on January 6th, this coming Tuesday.
That is great timing for me, as I hosted my wine tasting and pairing last night, and don't feel like any big projects this weekend.
I love that this practice is steeped in history and tradition, as well as that of my own family. Who else follows this tradition?
I don't have any hard and fast rules about when my trees (3) come down. It takes a lot of time and energy to put them up plus all of the other decorations. I love Christmas season and want to extend it as long as I possibly can.
ReplyDeleteIn Eastern Orthodoxy, Epiphany, also called Theophany, is a major feast day (Jan 6/19) celebrating the manifestation of God through Jesus Christ's baptism in the Jordan River, marking the first visible revelation of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and the start of Christ's ministry, often involving blessing the waters and diving for blessed crosses. It signifies God revealing Himself to humanity, unlike Western Epiphany which focuses more on the Magi.
ReplyDeleteMy birthday is on the 6, so I generally take it down on the 7. I also live in New Orleans, where 12 night is celebrated. Alas, I’m taking it down earlier this year because we leave for Italy on the 8.
ReplyDeleteWe, too, leave Christmas decorations up until Epiphany. We burn the Christmas advent candle at meals and keep the candles in the windows. The only change is to move away the Santa and replace with the three wise men. It is such a lovely time that I don't want it to end.
ReplyDeleteThat is also my tradition.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The house looks a little too dark in the evenings with no Christmas tree lights.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, my mother always insisted that we keep Christmas alive until January 6th. I still do this in her honor and also because I love this tradition. Prolonging the holiday seems right.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading all of the comments that celebrate the Epiphany. It reminded me of my mother's family who put up the tree on Christmas Eve, had oyster stew for dinner, then went to midnight Mass. The tree was taken down the day after the Epiphany.
ReplyDeleteEastern Orthodox Christians ( Serbians and Russians) get to have a second Christmas on January 7th. They follow the Julian calendar for Christmas just like the Greeks do at Easter. For me this date was another day of treats and it certainly justified keeping the decorations up!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, the tree came down on New Year's. When I became Episcopalian, I liked the tradition of leaving it up till January 6, and then we all hauled our trees to the churchyard where they were burned (with the fire department standing by). Now most of us use fakes, so no burning, but I still put mine up much later (a few days before Christmas) and sometimes leave it up till the end of January without all the ornaments and Santa stuff, just the lights. As I have gotten older I find that I like using decorations with a more wintry theme than Santa things anyway, so I leave a number of those things out and put them away leisurely when I feel like it.
ReplyDelete