I am of the "twelve days of Christmas" group: I like to put my tree up for a short two weeks and then take it down immediately. However, with early holiday parties or kids around the house, how early do you put up your tree?
In Germany, those who celebrate Christmas traditionally set up their tree on the 24th of December (Christmas Eve) and take it down on the 7th of January. And in Italy, traditionally the tree is erected on December 8th (Immaculate Conception Day) and taken down on the 6th of January.
What are your Christmas Tree traditions, if any? How do you feel about leaving it up into January?
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Growing up, we followed the Italian tradition (more or less). But now I have a child w/a New Year's Eve birthday and that means the tree needs to be OUT and all the little needles vacuumed up before the party. So, up the Sunday after Thanksgiving and DOWN AND OUT no later than Dec 27.
I think anything after Thanksgiving is fair game- but I usually wait for a week or two into December before it goes up.
It has to come down on or before New Years day in my mind.
Usually the second week of January because anything up to and after the first few days of the new years is just too hectic. Family may still be leaving and we're probably in food comas.
Ohh, put up... I read "take down." Ha.
We put up our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and no later. It usually doesn't take more than a few hours.
i like the "anytime after thanksgiving" rule.. i really enjoy having a tree up, it's fun and festive, but mine is small, so it's not that intrusive to our already small living room...
just put it up a few days ago... see it here!
http://twopeasteenypod.blogspot.com/
It goes up whenever we get around to it about a week before Christmas. However, it always stays up until January 7 and sometimes a bit beyond. This year we're not putting a tree up. We will however display our many crèches.
Any time after Dec 1. Tree comes down on new year's.
I usually deck the halls around the first weekend in December and then take it down at the Epiphany (January 6th). The twelve days of Christmas START on Christmas day and continue afterwards.
I do have some friends who still adhere to keeping the Christmas tree a secret from their kids and setting it up to "magically" appear decorated and all on Christmas morning.
Up at Thanksgiving down on Jan 1.
I put mine up Thanksgiving weekend because I have four days off from work. I take it down the weekend right after New Year's.
I put the tree up after Thanksgiving simply because I've got a couple of extra days off of work then and it makes the most sense. I take it down right after New years for the same reason. Extra time off means chores.
It goes up anytime after my birthday (first week of December) and stays up until Epiphany.
I put mine up right after Thanksgiving and take it down sometime the week of New Years. I you're going to go through all the trouble you might as well enjoy it! This year we put it up very soon after Thanksgiving (still November!) because we're expecting a baby any day and I needed it done!
I love the glitz so mine goes up the weekend of Thanksgiving, usually that Friday, and comes down New Year's Day while TV specials I have already seen can keep me company!
The gold feathery trees in the pic are fascinating!
I put the tree up whenever I get a chance, but never take it down before January 7th. Yes, the 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas, not before!
Ours goes up the weekend after Thanksgiving and stays up until at least the Epiphany. This was a problem when we had live trees, because many towns around us stop collecting on the 5th and then have a town bonfire to burn the trees.
i luv the gold trees...where did they come from..who /what /where..?
Up 2 weeks before Christmas, down Jan 1.
Up after the first week of Dec., down Jan. 2.
When I was a kid, we did the German way. I LOVED waking up on Christmas morning and finding the lighted tree that "Santa" had brought on Christmas Eve. (I'm guessing my Dad got some pretty good deals.)
up early, down early.
up Nov 12th (in Canada, our Thanksgiving is in October) so season can be kicked-off and enJOYed to the fullest with minimal stress, and down Jan 2 before post-festive season feels stale and expired (New Years is about new beginnings and rejuvenated energy afterall)
The German way: up on Christmas Eve, down on Epiphany. But that doesn't mean we don't have ant decorations. Our central feature is the Advent wreath on the dining table with four candles to light successively on the four Advent Sundays before Christmas.
Up on the 16th of Dec (my bday is the 15th) & down New Year's-ish.
The tree goes up no earlier than the weekend before Christmas and comes down after the Epiphany. I am really not ready to celebrate Christmas until the week before. However, it is not always easy to find a natural Christmas tree if you wait till that time. Last year it took a little driving around to find a tree lot that was still open.
we picked up the Advent tradition of our scandinavian friends so we put (alternative tree) on Dec 1st; we celebrate Xmas on 24th & 25th, as well as the Russo-Georgian Orthodox Xmas on Jan 6th & 7th
also, New Year is a big deal & Old New Year too (Jan 13&14), so we keep the tree till 14th
Up the day after Thanksgiving and down sometime between Christmas and NYEve
We always go with a real tree so we tend to wait until at least Dec 8th. Hosting a tree trimming party is one of our favorite ways to get in the holiday mood. I like to keep family tradition alive so the tree stays up thru the visit of the three kings in January.
Up Dec. 6 (St. Nicholas Day) and down Jan. 6 (Epiphany)
Up Thanksgiving weekend, down New Year's Day. (It's a great way to burn off the hangover.)
It goes up the first week of December (usually the first full weekend) and is always down way before New Year's (some years the day after Christmas, others by the 28th or so). Once Christmas is done, I am always so ready for it to come down, to do a full house clean, and welcome in the New Year.
When we were young the tree (and the trains) didn't go up until after we went to bed. Christmas morning was MAGICAL! The tree and the trains were packed up New Years Day.
I love all these stories :)
We usually put up our tree 2 - 2 1/2 weeks before Christmas and leave it until the Epiphany (taking it down on Jan. 7th)- my family is Spanish/Cuban and January 6th is a very important holiday for us :-)
Up the weekend after Thanksgiving; down sometime between Jan. 2 - January 6. Ideally, I leave it until Epiphany, but not always possible due to work, schedule, etc...
Bigger question -- does anyone do any special decorating after all the Christmas decorations come down? I always feel like the house is so bare afterward.
The British way when I was growing up (seems just like the German way someone described earlier): up on Christmas Eve, down on Epiphany. My Grandmother and people of her generation firmly believed that it was very unlucky to deviate from this!
Ours usually goes up in mid December, and stays up at least through Russian Orthodox Christmas (Jan. 7 this year). I usually can't bear to take the tree down for awhile after Christmas because it looks so cheerful and happy, and then all of a sudden I can't stand it anymore and want it out (we get real trees, so this usually coincides with when they start to look dull), and the house feels so clean and peaceful after all the decorations are out, and I just want to replace them with a few paperwhites or other nicely scented flowers.
Not right away, whenever I feel like it...but before Christmas! lol.. I have a feather tree that's not too big, so it's not a big deal. Then, I'll take it down (when I feel like it), by the end of January.
The weekend after Thanksgiving seems way too early for me. My tree goes up no earlier than St. Nicholas Day; lights on the windows follow on St. Lucy (not for any particular reason other than the fact that I was too lazy to put up the lights last weekend). The tree comes down on January 6. Extending Christmas beyond the traditional Yule seems to take away from the specialness of the season and I've just heard about the tradition of holding off until Christmas Eve, which I'd be very inclined to do if I were not playing host to a major party this season.
My birthday is December 11th. I always put my tree up then. It's a birthday gift to myself.
Happy Birthday einnac!
we cut and trim our christmas tree on the winter solstice. we take it down on the day of december 31 to start the new year with a fresh look. then we "plant" the tree out back for the birds to enjoy for several months. after it has lost all its color, we cut the branches to fireplace size to burn in the woodstove on our back deck on cool spring nights.
My tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving.
From 1 December untill 2 January.
growing up we followed the german tradition (or, danish, in our house). i still don't allow for the tree to be taken down before epiphany, but i'm more flexible on when it goes up (just...not *too* early).
My mother is German and we grew up with the "Christmas Wall" that blocked the view into the living room going up the week before. On Christmas Eve we would wait to hear the bells and then find the wall gone and the tree decorated, ablaze with candles. Gifts were opened/exchanged by candleglow. Now I still go stalk a live tree two weeks before Christmas, but it goes up right away. The candles? They still aren't lit until the evening of the 24th! It comes down after Epiphany.