SYLACAUGA, Ala. – The end of the holiday season means a fridge packed full of Christmas dinner leftovers and the beginning of operation cleanup time. Part of the post-holiday tidying up process will inevitably involve putting away your Christmas lights and, of course, figuring out when to take down the Christmas tree.
For some reason, determining the best time to drag your spruce out to the curb (or stick your artificial tree back in the garage) tends to be a hot-button topic year after year. It’s right on up there with the real tree or artificial tree debate — some people just have really strong feelings about it.
So, when should you take down your tree?
If you find yourself stumped over this very question (or continually debating about this with your spouse at Christmas dinner), perhaps consider letting tradition be your guide. Dating back to the fourth century, many Christians have marked the end of the Christmas season on the Twelfth Night (or 12 nights after Christmas) — an evening also known as the Eve of the Epiphany.
The Epiphany marks the day the Three Kings (or Wise Men) visited baby Jesus, and is either celebrated on Jan. 5 or Jan. 6 (depending on whether you count day one as Christmas or not). Although Christian groups reportedly disagree over which date is the correct one, tradition dictates that the Twelfth Night is the best time to take down your festive decorations — including your tree. It’s believed that waiting too long after the Twelfth Night will bring bad luck.
Of course, all of this to say that you should really take down your Christmas tree when it’s the most convenient time for you and your family. Whether that’s a few days after Christmas, New Year’s Day or whenever you can get to it, there’s really no true “correct” answer. However, real Christmas tree’s tend to dry out after a while, increasing the chances of it becoming a fire hazard.
This story via WVTM13 News
