When does the Christmas tree come down? or does it stay up all year long in your house? Some traditionalists argue that the tree needs to come down by January 6, the Feast of the Ephiphany.
When Does the Christmas Tree Come Down
The timing of putting up a Christmas tree has long been the subject of spirited holiday debate, and everyone’s family has their own unique tradition. Sometimes, our family doesn’t get the tree up until Christmas Eve and I console myself with pictures of Victorian families who did the same. Other years, the tree goes up some time after Thanksgiving as we mourn the comingling of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations at Target and CVS.
I’ve noticed on Facebook recently that some people leave their trees up year round. (I don’t think these are real trees or even living trees with their roots in a pot!) These people just take the Christmas decorations off sometime in January and decorate with hearts in February, shamrocks and leprachauns in March, and bunnies and eggs in April. I guess May and July get flags and I have no idea what they do in June! Other people I know just leave the tree up year round but hide it behind a screen – a very tall screen!
However, for the rest of us, the question arises – When does the Christmas Tree come down?
When does the Christmas tree come down? That date can be just as varied from family to family. Some folks take their trees down right away, and streets are littered with Christmas trees waiting for the recylcing truck for the first few days of the new year.
But according to religious tradition, there is a specific answer to the question of when does the Christmas tree come down. Christmas trees should stay up until Epiphany.
While you may not celebrate Epiphany with Catholics, Anglicans, and Orthodox churches, you’ve been introduced to it whether you know it or not. The idea of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” (and the accompanying earworm of a song) is actually based on the twelve-day stretch between Christmas Day and January 6th.
This early January date, according to some religious traditions, marks the arrival of the Magi to meet the baby Jesus. In fact, for some members of these faiths, it’s only appropriate to wish someone, “Merry Christmas!” between Christmas Day and Epiphany, since the birth of Jesus marks the beginning of the Christmas season, rather than the end.
As such, traditionalists maintain that keeping your tree up until January 6th properly honors each day of the Christmas season, and really, who doesn’t want to soak up all the joy they can from this warm, cozy holiday?
What is Ephiphany?
Ephiphany, January 6, according to some religious traditions, marks the arrival of the Magi to meet the baby Jesus. In fact, for some people, it’s only appropriate to wish someone, “Merry Christmas!” between Christmas Day and Epiphany, since the birth of Jesus marks the beginning of the Christmas season, rather than the end.
As such, traditionalists maintain that keeping your tree up until January 6th properly honors each day of the Christmas season.
The idea of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” and the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is actually based on the twelve-day stretch between Christmas Day and January 6th.
