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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:
Squigean · 27/12/2019 10:04

As a child decorations up around the last day of school (so close to Christmas day) and definitely not down before the 6th.

Think my husband's childhood the decorations were up earlier (8th I think) and not down till after 6th.

Irish Catholics.

(Though as adults we tend to put up decorations mid-December ish and down after 1st, but before the 6th. Always before schools go back.)

Butterfly005 · 27/12/2019 10:06

Decs go up around 12th December, come down around the 6th of January, simply because there are 12 days of Christmas starting on the 25th! English and Christian.

Inhismemory · 27/12/2019 10:08

I'm Scottish, growing up the tree usually came down at Hogmanay as we'd be having a big party and it gave us a bit more space.

These days we take tree/decorations down usually on the 3rd January depending when we're back at work etc.

My grandpa was a minister and we were/are a church going family. Epiphany was never spoken about in our house either.

TeacupDrama · 27/12/2019 10:09

We put decorations up about 14th DD birthday is on 1st so we leave birthday cards up for about 2weeks, take down about the 6th Jan mayb 5th as 6th is back to school day will definitely be up until after new year

Squigean · 27/12/2019 10:10

Actually this has reminded me of something I discovered a few years back. Some people think it's "bad luck" to take the decorations down before the epiphany (so they come down 7th, or later) whilst others think it's "luck bad" to have them up after (so taken them down 6th or ealier). Then others think it's on down on the 6th.

GloGirl · 27/12/2019 10:11

Mine go up the first weekend of Christmas and down on the first weekend after the new year.

gabsdot45 · 27/12/2019 10:12

I'm not going to vote because neither option fits for me.
We out up the decorations mid December and usually take them down after the new year. My mum used to say it was bad luck to leave them up after Jan 6th, DH's mum used to say it was bad luck to take them down before Jan 6th so ????
Whenever I have time I'll take them down. I'd say this year it'll be Sat 4th, as I'm working next week. DH and the kids will be around to help

TooGlamToGiveADamnn · 27/12/2019 10:12

Up on Christmas Eve, down on the 27th

Original poster
PineappleDanish · 27/12/2019 10:12

Foula residents are practically Scandinavian, @ShetlandWife! And Shetland's winter celebrations end with Up Helly Aa anyway surely?

Does seem that more people from a Catholic background do the Epiphany thing. Must have been too much fun for the dour Scottish protestant tradition. All that frivolity! Obviously the three wise men were in the Christmas stories I heard at school and church but their arrival was no big deal in the scheme of things.

OP posts:
Hingeandbracket · 27/12/2019 10:13

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)
I grew up in a Proddie household and this was my exact experience too.

elizabethdraper · 27/12/2019 10:14

In Ireland the Pearl's would be well and truly clutched if anyone even thought of taking the decade down before the 6th.
Its considered very bad luck!

Plus how would celebrate little Christmas with no tree.

ChateauMyself · 27/12/2019 10:18

I’m not a Christian but I do put up decorations. I love a bit of twinkle to get me through the long dark evenings. I usually take them down after 12th night / back to school, but then I only start to put them up a week or less before the 25th

Everything feels so front loaded. No wonder everyone’s sick to the back teeth come the 26th.

Original poster
PineappleDanish · 27/12/2019 10:19

I've heard people saying it's bad luck to have decorations up after 6th Jan, but not that taking them down before is bad luck too.

Mind you, my granny thought that doing washing on New Year's Day would bring a plague of locusts on your house or something.

OP posts:
Babdoc · 27/12/2019 10:19

I suspect that the people taking their decs down early are the ones who put them up far too early - when it was barely even Advent, let alone Christmas - and they’ve got thoroughly sick of them, and their tree is dying and shedding needles!
At my church we don’t even sing carols until the Nativity service (we stick to Advent hymns) and we save the readings and carols about the Wise Men until Epiphany proper.
I take my tree down on the 6th, and chop it for firewood and kindling, but it still needs to dry out for a while as I don’t put it up until quite close to Christmas.

user1487194234 · 27/12/2019 10:21

Ours come down on 12th night
We do festive things all week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Between New Year's Day and 12th night we dial it down a bit lots of walks etc but still nice food and some social activity

HoomanMoomin · 27/12/2019 10:21

My DD has birthday on 2nd and our decorations come off on the weekend between Christmas and New Year. We have decided before she was born that there must be a clear line defining her birthday. And yes, I want the tree out pretty much straight after Boxing Day.

scubadive · 27/12/2019 10:23

Mid Dec until Jan 6th but do usually like them down before children start back at school, this depends where the weekend falls. They used to always go back after the 6th, this year on the 6th I think so might come down just before.

FizzyIce · 27/12/2019 10:23

We take our decs down either New Year’s Eve or Day .
By then I am craving the space back and less clutter

Dipsydoodle · 27/12/2019 10:23

Our tree went up the first of Dec and we will take it down probably Jan 2nd or weekend of 4th/5th. I don't r

Dipsydoodle · 27/12/2019 10:24

Whoops was too keen

fedup21 · 27/12/2019 10:24

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.

Not church going family here at all, but 12th night was always when peoples trees came down and Epiphany has been written on every calendar we’ve had for decades!

mostlydrinkstea · 27/12/2019 10:25

Tree goes up on the weekend before Christmas and comes down around 6th Jan. In the church calendar the Christmas season doesn't end until candalmass which is 2nd Feb.

Snuffkindle · 27/12/2019 10:25

From northern England here. I didn't have a religious upbringing but parents were both from Methodist stock. As a child the decs didn't go up till mid December and came down on the 6th. We now put ours up on the first weekend in December but I stick to the 6th to take them down. I do feel like we're pretty much the only ones on the street to have them up for so long and I'm always ready for them to be down but I hang on to the 6th. If I didn't worry about the luck side of things, I guess I would choose to take them down on the 2nd.

BillieEilish · 27/12/2019 10:25

I'm in Spain, the main day is the 3 Kings, 6th Jan.

You would be shot if you decided Christmas was over!

No, decorations down on the 6th, hugely bad luck otherwise. I would also have done the same in UK and I'm British.

Each to their own.