When should I put my Christmas tree up..and take it down?
Posted by Scott Simonsen
ack in Roman times, people are said to have waited until midday on Christmas Eve to decorate their trees.
The introduction of fake trees and long-lasting evergreens soon changed all this.
These days, most Brits opt to put their trees up from the start of Advent, while, in the United States, many people put their trees up right after Thanksgiving.
Thousands of people gather for the switching on of Christmas tree lights at famous venues like the White House, in Washington, and Rockerfeller Square, in New York.
If you don't have a fake tree, your kids' excitement about Christmas needs to be balanced with the lifespan of the typical fir tree.
The British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) say any trees bought from December 1 onwards should be fine for the big day, but the middle weekend of advent, is a good compromise.
Others like to wait until 12 days before Christmas, i.e. December 13, to put up their trees. If you're buying a real tree, you may want to wait until December 16/17
This question's a bit simpler to answer. Your Christmas tree should be down by the 12th day of Christmas, which always falls on January 6.
This date marks the Epiphany - the day when the Three Wise Men visited the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.
The Epiphany is the official end of the festive season. It's considered unlucky to keep your decorations up beyond January 6 - although some Christians consider it unlucky to take them down too early.
Why is it unlucky to keep your tree up beyond the 12th night?
As legend goes, tree spirits take shelter in Christmas greenery, such as your tree and holly, during the festive season.
But, once this period of time has passed, the spirits need to be released back into the wild.
If people don't take out their trees and release them, legend says that the greenery won't grow back in spring - leading to farming problems and food shortages.
Many people now take their trees down early, to avoid encouraging bad luck.
But kids were traditionally told that, if you took your tree down before the eve of the Epiphany, the Three Wise Men wouldn't be able to find their way - because the Star of Bethlehem, i.e. our fairy lights, guided them to Jesus.
Another superstition is that you should take your Christmas tree down before the bell tolls for midnight on New Year's Eve.
If you don't meet this deadline, you're said to be dragging your baggage into the new year.