Does no-one leave their decorations up until 12th night anymore?

[MrsSeanBean]

I feel like a right freak with decorations, tree etc still up. I thought the custom was to leave Christmas decorations up until 12th night. I suppose that custom, as with so many others, has vanished.

Am I the only one?!

Stealthy you could turn your back on one of them, a proper tree shun, and make sure no cider sodden bread touched it. Yeah it's not going to make New Scientist but hey, worth a go. Unless of course you are desperate to sing to both of your trees

AhHa - wikipedia says that plum trees need wassailing too - that would bring us almost to critical mass for an experiment except that they are all going to get pruned soon so no big crops expected from any of them

Off to persuade DH to add mulled cider to the menu (and shopping list)

Did you wassail this Christmas Slubber?
Oh and how was your pithivier?

Just plugging my outside lights on for the last time. Thanks for the reminder. There are a few in our village. We were away for Xmas so didn't decorate beyond advent calendars at home. Never quite got around to putting the cards up, so they've been in a festive pile since mid Dec.

Mine will come down on the 6th.

As they always do.

And the fecking kids will refuse to help.

As they always do.

So by this time tomorrow I will be swearing and shouting and calling people names.

And then next year, I shall (again) refuse to put them up until the Sunday before Christmas when all the mumsnet loons people are taking them out of the attic in the middle of November .

If 12th night can be strung out til tomorrow night ( at a stretch) I could get some cider in tomorrow and the DCs could have a laugh soaking bits of bread in it and luzzing it at our apple trees whilst singing naughty songs to them ( Don't know what they'd come up with - raised eyebrow emoticon )

But think a bit of wassailing might hasten in the Spring & lighter evenings and mornings very nicely ( badly needed IMHO - it's pitch black when we draw the curtains in the morning ATM )

Wassail and Pithivier is on tomorrow Moony

Stealthy I reckon you can't go wrong with a drop of mulled cider.

Everything I have read says that 12th night is tonight so you are all doomed by leaving them up till tomorrow!!

Fantastic.Funnily enough, saw a pithivier receipt t'other day and thought of you.

Ours come down tomorrow on twelfth night. I still feel sad though. Our real christmas tree is still so very beautiful and green that i dont want it t go but its bad luck to leave it up. x

done mine. i feel sad too looking at the poor tree. we cut it down, it was still lovely.

but the living room looks huge!!!

took mine down new years eve usually take down 1st of jan
did put it up end of nov

Well as it's 12th night I've taken them down, Epiphany tomorrow. I think you're allowed up until noon as Wise as the men were, they were not very speedy and missed breakfast in the stable.

So I will have a last look around tomorrow morning otherwise they have to stay up all year.

Have just killed myself taking mine down so it had flippin' better be 12th Night.....
suppose it depends if you count Christmas Day as the First foodfight Day of Christmas.

We take decorations down on the night of 5th January. Have just finished.

explanation of why it is Twelfth night on the 5th rather than the 6th

Our tree is now outside with all it's needles still in place, only the odd twig where it snapped of n the door way to Hoover up

So empty :(

Decs down tomorrow. will try to avoid tears from DD who has got very attached to tree this year for the first time.

nametakenagain - my DC can't wait for ours to come down, as the rule is that (as long as they help!) they then get to eat the chocolate decorations.

I used to wait till the 6th but now I take them down New Years Day.

It always makes me feel new year new start

Tree is still up and decorations are still festooning the sitting room, and I am still here in one piece. It will stay up until maybe Tuesday as the DCs are at exH's and would be horrified to come home and find it all gone.

Contract for self-employed nanny-share

We have found a nanny and agreed that she would be treated as being self-employed as opposed to an employee since she will only be working for us a couple of days a week. I would prefer to have a short contract in place but I am not quite sure where to start. Holidays are particularly tricky (what's the norm here, I have heard 4 weeks, 2 whose dates are to be chosen by the families and 2 by the nanny); also I assume that paid holidays don't apply for self-employment?? Any advice on the key points to cover in the contract apart from the hours and the hourly rate would be super helpful!
Thanks in advance.

I've been a nanny but don't know about the legalities and practicalities of drawing up a contract for a "self-employed" nanny.

Just make sure you give her a day off to take down the tree decorations after Christmas hey

Our go up on the second weekend of December and come down as soon after New Year's day as we find the time. I don't like returning to work/school/normality with all the tired decorations still up.

One of our neighbours' houses looks like a grotto from the middle of November until the 6th, exactly, while another keeps theirs up until about March.

I took all the decorations down except the tree on the 4th and 5th, but tree is in the process of being dismantled today. I did note on my new calendar that Twelfth night was on the 5th. I like to do it at a leisurely pace! Decs went up here on 12th and 13th Dec.

I'm not rushing to put them up in the loft as I want to get some new storage boxes for them, or possibly bags which will be easier to manhandle in and out past the loft ladder.