to think Christmas finishes by New Year?

[PineappleDanish]

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.

Growing up in a religious family in Wakes. Decorations came down in the 6th January. No set date for going up but don’t think November ever featured the word Christmas in it.

Mine went up on the 8th, I'm fed up looking at them now but I just can not be arsed to take them down. I will probably clear them after new year.

@Thestrangestthing we put ours up on the 8th too, which is about a week earlier than usual and I too am now fed up of looking at them! 😆

We usually put them up the weekend after Thanksgiving (this is a tradition for many in the US), and take them down on January 6th. I grew up Episcopalian, and we definitely observed twelve days of Christmas, the first day being December 25.

Advent is supposed to be a time of reflection as opposed to celebration, but we never really observed that, except to have an Advent candle.

I tend to work with what’s needed by me/at home rather than any specific norms. Around 1st weekend of December - the year feels long enough, the weather feels dreary enough and the need is to have some festivities to brighten up the air: so decorations go up.

Around Boxing Day: the mood is tired enough, the house is cluttered enough, and a new year is close enough to begin to regroup. The decorations go down.

This always, always meets our needs. It is never done just because it’s the 1st of December and it’s never down just because it’s been up for a month by Boxing Day. It simply is that at both these points in December the putting up and taking down meets a particular need and we are happy with that.

For us it starts after my daughter’s birthday in mid November and finishes just before going back to work and school so this year we ll take it all down on 5th. I hate how bare the streets look once the lights all go, it really brings me down.

Decorations go up late nov and go down 31st dec

London here

Catholic . I certainly learned of Epiphany and taking decorations down on the 6th January . I am 54.

Ours usually up around 15th Dec and down 1st Jan

Christmas is over here , Wedding Anniversary and family get together on Saturday Night , Nieces birthday and another family meal NYE - looking forward to both

Does seem that more people from a Catholic background do the Epiphany thing.

As only about 10% of the UK are Catholic I don't think that is why. In England most people are not religious or non churchgoing C of E and celebrate Christmas more as a cultural thing than because of religious beliefs. People are not celebrating Epiphany, rather they just 'know' the decorations are meant to be down by twelfth night.
I agree with a previous poster that it is likely that those who put their decorations up early are more likely to be sick of them by Boxing Day, although they often claim to put them up as soon as possible because they love Christmas and can't wait

English, Catholic. (DH is CofE)

I want to do Advent properly, so we don't put the decorations up until just before Christmas. (Christmas eve would be nice, but not practical, so it's finish school, clean and tidy, then decorate)

No way they'd come down before 6th of Jan, I keep them up longer if possible.

(There is a Catholic idea that although the feast of Christmas time finishes on 6th Jan, the season goes on to the 2nd February, feast of Candlemas. So I'm not bothered if the decorations are up a bit longer. I don't believe in luck. We always have them down for end of January family birthdays)

Although we have to do Christmas parties/plays/light switch-ons/fetes etc, outside the home before Christmas we try to do advent at home.

Really annoys me that just as I'm ready to buy all the nice Christmas food I've been seeing in shops, they stop selling it 😢.

But if that's not your religion, do what you like.

I'm in Italy (though British) and people take their decorations down when they feel like it. I take mine down on the 6th but as pp says, the religious festivity of Christmas finishes on Candlemas which is when the churches dismantle their cribs etc.

Little Christmas is how we referred to Jan 6th more so than the Epiphany. Women’s Christmas on the 6th has always been a big event in some parts of Ireland but not where I grew up.

Christmas as a season is from 1st December until I go back to work. (This year that's 2nd January.)

However we put our decorations up for Thanksgiving in late November and usually take them down on 27 or 28 December. We like the house to feel fresh and clean for New Year's Eve.

For info, baptised Catholic and from Yorkshire. When we were young they would leave the decorations up until after New year but waiting for 12th night was not a thing.

I had never heard of 12th night as a child growing up. I take decorations down before new year

Tree up first weekend in Dec and down first weekend in Jan

Love my decorations and like to have for a good 4-5 weeks

I'm not religious

All our decs will be down by New Year but do what you like

Technically starts 24th Dec and 6th Jan is the last (12th) night. (Sundays don't count, just like Lent).

Of course you can take your stuff down whenever you like.

I'm Scots and decorations went up during the week before Christmas and came down for Twelfth Night; my dad, being a superstitious sailor, was adamant about that. Decorations were still up in everyone's home when I went first-footing in the late 70s and early 80s. Even The Broons still had their decorations up on Hogmanay! 😁

Christmas starts on Christmas Eve and runs until Twelfth Night. It always was when I was a child and still is now. I'm in Scotland.

Religious friends keep to twelfth night but I like NY with just the tree and a few lights, plus table centrepieces, seems cleaner and fresher for the NY. So I will slowly begin to 'disappear' stuff tomorrow. I dislike the cards anyway so they will be first, unless they are strictly NY cards.
Everything else will go on NY Day as I'm heading away for a few days' breather at 5am on 2nd.

I'm in Scotland and never had the 12th night thing. Hadnt heard of it until mumsnet. My decorations come down some time between boxing day and new year's eve

There is no AIBU, because people do what suits them.

Our decorations go up between 1-2 weeks before and come down Jan 1st.
My belief is Christmas was last year so goes away 1st Jan, as this is a new year, not last year anymore.

Christmas finishes on 12th night. 5 Jan. So decorations down on the 6th. I've always down this and Im in my 60s. This is also still the case in most of Europe. Spain has the day of the Kings on 12th night which commemorates the day the Wisw Men got to Bethleham to visit Jesus. 12 days after his birth. Once that has happened the festive season is over, not before