Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think Christmas finishes by New Year?

169 replies

PineappleDanish · 27/12/2019 09:50

Lots of threads about people taking down their decorations to be met with a flurry of "oh no, Christmas only STARTS on the 25th and runs to 6th Jan!"

This wasn't a thing when I was little, decorations always went up around mid-December, down either just before New Year or just after. I don't think I knew anyone who did the 12th night thing, and Epiphany wasn't a word I ever heard anyone use in my church going family. Just not a "thing".

Is this regional? Is keeping your decorations up to 6th Jan a more "English" thing while us Scots, Irish and Welsh are more focused on the new year hoolie? Or is it a Catholic/Protestant tradition thing given that many southern european catholic countries like Italy and Spain traditionally celebrate Epiphany and the three wise men bringing gifts rather than Santa Claus?

YABU - of course Christmas starts on 24th dec and isn't over until 6th Jan

YANBU - starts at some point in December, done and dusted by 27th.

OP posts:
Theroigne · 27/12/2019 09:53

I’m not going to pres either button because to us, Christmas starts properly around the late-middle if Dec and is pretty much over by Jan 2nd.

Howmanysleepsnow · 27/12/2019 09:54

Neither. It starts when the decorations go up, ends when they come down (1st December to 6th January here). Not religious, English, love Christmas!

Theroigne · 27/12/2019 09:54

Sorry - pressed send too soon (and before I’d had time to check typos!) but I was meant to put a lighthearted smiley face at the end Grin

Theroigne · 27/12/2019 09:55

Decs go up second weekend of Christmas so around the tenth but we don’t really feel properly festive until schools break up around the 20th.

Paddington68 · 27/12/2019 09:56

Decoration went up at the end of November. Down at 12th night.

Butchyrestingface · 27/12/2019 09:56

Neither option is correct. I would say that it starts at some point in December and is over by 2nd January.

Yorkshireswithallroasts · 27/12/2019 09:56

Live in Wales. Most people I know leave their decorations up until 6th January. In fact even when I didn't live in Wales that seemed to be the case

Original poster
PineappleDanish · 27/12/2019 09:57

Cannot imagine having decorations up from the end of November to the first week in January? 6 weeks of the things??

Urgh. Our tree went up on 15th Dec, will probably dismantle it on New Year's Day. Can't imagine having it still there when the kids go back to school.

OP posts:
smemorata · 27/12/2019 09:57

It wasn't a thing when you were little? How old are you? Grin It's been a tradition for centuries because 6th Jan is epiphany when the three kings arrived bearing gifts. Shakespeare wrote "Twelfth Night" about it. Don't celebrate it if you don't want to but it's definitely not new.

ClashCityRocker · 27/12/2019 09:57

For me, it ends on the 2nd of January. New year's eve and day are part of Christmas - we still have crackers, decorations etc.

waggydog21 · 27/12/2019 09:58

Ours go up around the 15th and down by the 3rd-ish just before we all go back to work

LadyTiredWinterBottom2 · 27/12/2019 09:58

Feel festive but properly starts on 24th Dec. Ends on New year's day for us but some people go to 6th Jan as that is when it traditionally ends.

Anoisagusaris · 27/12/2019 09:58

I’m Irish and decorations always went up in our house around Dec 15th - we now put them up around the 8th - and MUST stay up until the 6th, but no later. Considered to be unlucky to do otherwise.

ScreamingValalalalahLalalalah · 27/12/2019 09:58

Technically, it starts on 25th December and runs to 6th January.

However, nowadays people have to juggle their festive celebrations with their work commitments, so it's entirely up to the individual to decide when they want to declare Christmas is over in their household.

NomNomNomNom · 27/12/2019 09:58

I think Christmas starts ramping up in early December starts in earnest mid December. It starts tailing off from around the 27th and I'd take the decorations down sometime between new year and the 6th.

WoollyFoolly · 27/12/2019 09:59

I grew up in a catholic household so christmas decs often went up on Christmas Eve (my mum did relent on this eventually and we'd put them up the weekend before Christmas) and stayed up till 12th night. Epiphany was a big thing, the three wise men wouldn't be added to the nativity scene until the last day and we'd all traipse off to church.
I'm thoroughly atheist now and Christmas decs go up mid-December and come down New Year's Day or thereabouts.

ViaSacra · 27/12/2019 09:59

Decs go up first weekend of advent, come down at the weekend closest to the 6th Jan.

I grew up in a very Christian family, so that may be why I stick to Epiphany as the end of Christmas.

Original poster
PineappleDanish · 27/12/2019 09:59

I'm not that old!! But I think we established on the 1000 post "Santa is American" thread that people in different parts of the UK do things differently, 12th night was not part of what I heard in Church/school growing up.

OP posts:
Horsemad · 27/12/2019 10:01

For me personally, Christmas finishes on 27/12.

In reality, our decs stay up until about 4th or 5th Jan. DH takes down the tree & puts decs in loft, so I leave it upto him.
If I were doing it, it'd probably be all done & tidied away by New Year's Eve.

FeigningHorror · 27/12/2019 10:01

Christmas definitely continues till Twelfth Night/Epiphany for me, and always did when I was a child. In Ireland January 6th is known as Women’s Christmas or Little Christmas, the idea being that women were supposed to get a break from the drudgery and wifework of Christmas and go out — in practice, this devolved into weird restaurant menus and knock-off Chippendales. If you’re Catholic the feast of the Epiphany is important.

CruCru · 27/12/2019 10:02

We put our tree up on the 24th and take it down on the 6th. We'd probably take it down earlier if we'd put it up earlier.

smemorata · 27/12/2019 10:02

@PineappleDanish Sorry! My family weren't religious though and it was always 6th Jan for us and neighbours. I live in Iraly and it is a big deal - more stockings and a parade of the kings.

Chemenger · 27/12/2019 10:03

In our Scottish household in the 60’s and 70’s the decorations went up on the first day of the School holidays and came down on twelfth night. When we went first footing round the neighbours their decorations were still up.

MissE6791 · 27/12/2019 10:03

I’m not religious so all the epiphany stuff is over my head. To me Christmas is the whole of December. I like to start fresh at the beginning of the New Year and clear all the decorations away on the 1st (or 2nd if too hung over).

UndertheCedartree · 27/12/2019 10:03

Growing up decorations always stayed up til Epiphany. I remember my mum would always comment if term started before 6th Jan - she'd say 'you're going back to school very early - it's not even Epiphany yet!' I follow suit and keep them up til 6th Jan. I start putting a few decs up at beginning of December but we don't get our tree til mid December. We're in south east England.