When does Christmas 'end' for you?

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When I was a kid I felt it was different compared to now. I felt like Christmas lasted for days after the big day, it would still feel magical between Christmas and new year. We'd visit family between Christmas and new year. I'm not sure if it was just because I was a kid, I was fortunate enough my parents had jobs where they'd be off for the whole festive period. But it felt like shops shut for a few days too! 🤷‍♀️

I'm not sure if it's just me or because I'm grown up but these days I feel like people forget about Christmas soon as the day is over. No Christmas songs played after the 25th! Shops back to normal. Often people take their decs down

What does it 'end' for you.

Won't be ready to let go this year. We all have covid at the minute. Dd was last to get and she won't be out of isolation until the 25th so we've pretty much missed the whole of December which makes me so sad 😪

I just feel like making it last this year. I don't take my tree down until after New Year's Day anyway!

I am going to look at doing things we'd normally do now after Christmas and hoping it'll still fee Christmassy !

Christmas night it’s over for us and we are taking down cards and some decorations to make way for DA birthday on Boxing Day. 27th everything comes down to have a big clean before everyone’s back at work and it’s lovely and fresh for New Year.

6th of January. Little Christmas!

In Denmark December is known as the Christmas month and it’s all about ‘Julehygge’ all month long. For me it’s always been about creating mindful moments all throughout the season, including observing the four Sundays of advent leading up to Christmas Day. I actually keep it very minimal for the most part and it’s never been about ridiculous levels of consumerism and/or material goods. I don’t believe in turning Christmas into an exercise in hassle, stress or the martyrdom that so many seem to favour. So I don’t get tired of the concept of Christmas by the time Boxing Day rolls around. I love the whole thing.

I don't decorate at all. I'm a widow and spend Chritmas Eve and Christmas Day with my daughter. Then we visit my son on Boxing Day and other friends and relatives over the next few days. I used to keep them up until 12th night, but now I'm on my own I don't bother.

Christmas seems to end for some people come boxing Day, when thousand of people get in their cars, and go shopping in big stores, for the sales.

I don't massively celebrate (DP and I are spending it in a holiday cottage, just us, no decorations or anything), but I do take the whole period off work (I'm freelance).
So the holiday period ends for me the night before I start working again. This year I'll start up on 3 Jan.

When I was a kid, that magical feeling lasted till about New Years Day. The Christmas films were still on, you were visiting family in between so essentially having another xmas day, eating all the buffet food and exchanging gifts etc.

As I've gotten older, I still feel that Christmas magic, especially now we have a dc but I quite enjoy that winding down time between Christmas and NY.
By then, we've done the rounds seeing family, as lovely as it is, it can be tiring doing that when family are not local.
I've also usually eaten far too much food and just want to lig out on the sofa, chilling with dh and dc.

1st January is the last day. Tree and all indoor outdoor decorations down first thing on the 2nd.
Ours have only been up since 7th December and we're off until the 10th January. Can't imagine sweeping it all away before, far too early.

6th January. We have stockings on the 5th, the 3 Kings parade through the street on the 6th and then it's back to school and work.

Christmas ends on Boxing Day for me, but decorations stay up until just after new year. I see Christmas and New Year as two separate celebrations.

When the kids go to bed on Christmas Day so I reckon about 8/9pm ish on the 25th is when our Christmas ends. As that’s when we dig out the wrapping paper, balloons and cards ready for ds’s birthday on the 26th. Obviously the decorations are still up but I try and keep Christmas and his birthday as separate as possible. Decs down on 27th/28th

27th. Otherwise that gap before New Year is just dead feeling. I love cleaning the house, bringing in some pots of bulbs from the greenhouse and feeling like Spring is in the air. I'm not a Christian though, perhaps that makes a difference.

About 6pm on the day tbh

27th. Decorations come down New year's day. I fill the house with flowers.

When the children go back to school is when the decs and tree come down, we love the bit I between Christmas and New year. We tend to see family in between Christmas and New year and prefer to meet outdoors even before covid so we are seeing the 28th I think for a walk we will pack hot chocolate and snacks and have them in the car. New year's day is like a mini Christmas day for us we have a roast, always beef and relax!

Surely it can't end until after the Magi/Three Wise Men/Three Kings have visited, which doesn't happen til Jan 6th. Then there's twelfth night.

www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/42565054

"Epiphany: What is it and why do Christmas decorations come down today?
6 Jan 20216 January 2021Last updated at 06:32

The presents have been opened, the puddings eaten and lots of TV has been watched - and now it feels like Christmas has been and gone for another year.

But 6 January marks an important date for many people in the Christmas calendar.

That is because it is the date of something called Epiphany.

What is Epiphany?
Epiphany - also known as Three Kings' Day - is a Christian festival, which starts on 6 January.

It is a special date in the Christmas story as it's when people celebrate how a star led the Magi - also known as the Three kings or the Wise Men - to visit the baby Jesus after he had been born.

'Epiphany' comes from the Greek word meaning 'to reveal', as it is when the baby Jesus was 'revealed' to the world.

This is why you might hear people say they've had an epiphany, when they've just realised something.

In some countries many families will take off 6 January and exchange presents.

In Spain and Latin America, El Dia de los Reyes is just as important as Christmas Day itself.

A bit like how you might leave a carrot and mince pie out on Christmas Eve, the night before El Día de los Reyes, children leave out drinks for the Three Kings and there are parades and fireworks displays to mark the occasion.

Eastern Orthodox Christians actually celebrate Christmas on Epiphany, so it's an important religious occasion.

What is Twelfth Night?

The date of Epiphany also happens around the time for Twelfth Night too.

Traditionally, Twelfth Night marks the end of Christmas - 12 nights after Christmas.

Even if you are not at all religious, Twelfth Night is important to a lot of people as all of the Christmas decorations must come down by the time the clock strikes midnight at the end of the day.

It is said to be bad luck if they stay up beyond this, so you may be busy taking down tinsel if you haven't done it already!

But the date of it is a little bit confusing. It can fall on 5 January or 6 January, according to different traditions.

If the 12 nights are counted from Christmas Day night itself, it falls on 5 January. Anglicans mark Twelfth Night on 5 January.

But some other churches count it from the following day, which means Twelfth Night falls on 6 January."

Christmas is 1 day to me.

There are lots of other events in the period though almost all end on or are ended by the 6th January.

So the festive period runs from 4 Sundays before Xmas until 6th January.

For me I’d say it ends after New Year’s Day on Jan 2nd. There’s a sense of things being back to normal then.

The day I go back to work! Until then, no work, no school run, I can relax, have fun with ds, cook at my own pace, Bliss.

I feel less christmassy after new year, and definitely over when the dc go back to school.

Generally 2nd January we aim to take the decs down. I’ve only just started putting them up today tbh, so it’s not like they’re really up very long.
I absolutely love the period between Christmas and New Years, it’s all visiting family, relaxing at home and eating all the good food!
I do think Christmas does start a little early commercially now tho. We’re kickstarting the Christmas vibes tomorrow with a Christmas light tour of our nearby rhs gardens, and then I’m in full stollen and tinsel mode.

Usually the day I go back to work, whatever day that is. That's when the 'spell' is broken.

Surely it can't end until after the Magi/Three Wise Men/Three Kings have visited, which doesn't happen til Jan 6th. Then there's twelfth night

Yes, for Christians that it correct.
But many non Christians celebrate Christmas as a mid winter festival, therefore don’t feel obliged to stick to those ‘rules’.
I am an atheist, but we celebrate Christmas. For us, the period between Christmas and New Year is still part of Christmas in that we spend time together, see family, have nice meals etc. Its over for us when the children go back to school.

Boxing Day here as I’m back to work. We both have to work right through the festive period but I generally don’t take the decorations down until just before new year, but depends on when my days off fall.

I’m also half Spanish and the Spanish side of the family celebrate Reyes, which we partake in if we’re with them.