6 – Take Down the Christmas Tree Day

[vilakins]

If you celebrate Christmas, when do you put up your tree and when do you take it down?

We don't really do Christmas, but years ago I bought an artificial tree because I wanted to make some Dutch visitors who didn't have anywhere to go feel at home for that day. At the time I just hung some wooden apples on it, but the next year, because we already had the tree, bought some nice globes for it. A couple of them resembled planets so I put spaceships in there too. This is it back in 2005: same tree, mostly the same decorations - and even the same terracotta vase beside it, weirdly enough, despite it being a different house.

Anyway, to answer the question, I heard a while back that you get a month if you put it up on 6 December, St Nicolas's day, and take it down on 6 January after the 12 days of Christmas, so that's what I try to do. Does anyone celebrate for 12 days any more?

I'm always a bit sad to take it down, as I did today, because it marks almost the end of the Christmas/New Year holiday, and besides I like the seeing the pohutukawa LED lights flickering on it.

BTW our cats totally ignore it.

Comments

[gwendraith]

I occasionally take my tree and decs down on 6th January but mostly because I've been too busy to do it before. I did it two days ago this time (4th), I'm usually ready to get the place back to normal after New Year. I do leave some lights up all year, though. My cats don't bother with the tree either.

[vilakins]

When do you put your tree up? I think a lot of English people do it on the 24th which doesn't give so much time to enjoy it, but I suppose the tradition is real trees for the 12 days. I've always hated the idea of killing a tree though.

[gwendraith]

I put my tree up this time on 6th December. I usually do it about 7 days before Christmas but I felt things needed cheering up a bit so did it early. Most people I know have their tree and decorations up well before Christmas, some in November - far too early in my opinion. I always used to have a live tree. I bought a small potted one years ago and kept it in the garden when I lived in Ely, bringing it in each Christmas (it got quite big!). I had to leave it when I moved so now I have a Balsam Hill realistic tree.

[vilakins]

Our one's realistic too, and totally devoid of the fake snow I so hate - it's summer here, deal with it, people! Greg says it's particularly realistic in that it leaves a few green needles on the floor.

My mother had a potted tree for a few years that she'd bring inside. It developed a lean and we named it Claudius, and eventually planted him permanently in the garden.

[vera_j]

I put up the tree mostly on 23rd December. This time it is still there because I wanted my grandchildren to see it and take the presents - they could not come earlier. But usually I take it down after four days. Nothing is wasted - I remove the decorations and use the gardening shears to cut off the branches, wrap everything in the cloth I put under it and bring it down to the cellar. The whole dry tree is fed to the fire in the boiler then...How symbolic...

[vilakins]

Such a short time! Is there a Czech tradition of 12 days of Christmas, or perhaps that's just English?

I never liked the idea of killing a tree, but burning it for fuel afterwards makes so much sense as it's not wasted then. Here people grow little trees in plantations for a year, then cut them down to sell, and afterwards people have to dispose of them (often badly). Sadly so many northern traditions just don't suit down here.

[vera_j]

It is customary that we decorate the tree just before the Christmas Eve and then keep it and other Christmas decorations until the Wise men day - which is 6th January. As for trees, firs are taken to ZOOs for animals to eat - elephants LOVE them. But most od the trees has to be collected by services and, which is shameful, some people just throw them elsewhere.

[vilakins]

So also pretty much the 24th to the 6th, like in England - interesting!

It's good there's a pickup service, and I love that elephants eat some of them. Here it's up to people to dispose of them, and of course too many just dump them in the country. And not just trees either - rubbish too because we have to pay for private rubbish collection in this part of the country. Humans are too often crap.

[vera_j]

About us humans - agree.

[judo100]

I have a small artificial tree that goes up sometime in Dec and comes down sometime in January. Very loose about dates, even to the extent of celebrating holidays on whatever day we please. Makes life easier.

[vilakins]

I'm not too worried about putting-up dates either - sometime after the first week in December (I know about the 6th because a Catholic friend sends me name-day greetings!) - but I usually take it down on the 6th before the work year starts up again.

I like your relaxed attitude! There's a lot of stress around holidays*, I've noticed, but we just take it easy and quietly.

* A friend in the US said she dreaded so much having to decorate, bake, cook, host huge dinners etc, all falling to her, that this year she said enough and did the minimum and had a potluck dinner. She posted a happy family photo, and I'm sure they appreciated the lack of stress too.

[katriona_s]

I thought every cat wasinterested in the Christmas tree and in fiddling with it XD

[vilakins]

None of our cats have been the slightest bit interested, but my sister had one kitten that attacked hers madly, though her other cats didn't care either. Our cats can go outdoors, so I think American cats, who can't, go crazy for trees especially if they're real.

[kalypso]

Gauda Prime Day to Epiphany, just over a fortnight, which seems a good stretch of time to me. This year the TARDIS joined the Liberator and Deep Space Nine.

[vilakins]

Beautiful! I can see all of those there. Is that a Missy I see too? Oh, and there's a cat for Abby!

[kalypso]

She's a suffragette - there's also Oscar Wilde on the other side, just above the Liberator! I think katlinel gave me the cat; there's also a ceramic cat, which I can see halfway between Oscar Wilde and a robin, but it's sideways on so you can't tell it's a cat from here - anyway, it was made by my one of my neighbours who likes "pottering" and has A B B Y stamped on it. So both pay tribute to Abby though neither is a tabby. I keep being given bees, in various forms, so I think there are now six of those! And this year, above the TARDIS, there is a special star with legionseagle's name on it, which her partner gave me.

[vilakins]

That's a lovely memory of her.