Putting up decorations is one of the most exciting activities in the run-up to Christmas.
Setting up the tree and festooning it with colourful lights and baubles, then adding tinsel and more festive trinkets other parts of your home can be great fun, especially if you have kids.
Many families could be excused for blasting out the festive tunes and decorating their homes earlier than usual in 2020, as they sought out some Christmas cheer following a difficult year.
But now it’s New Year, and most of us will be preparing to go back to work or school.
And with presents still in need of a home within the house, it’s getting a bit cluttered and you may be thinking it’s time to pack everything away for another year.
When to take your Christmas decorations down
Since the Victorian era it has been traditional to remove Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night.
Every year people are left scratching their heads, trying to work out when the date falls and why.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It’s either January 5 or January 6, depending on what you’re celebrating.
Twelfth Night falls on January 5 and Epiphany is the following day, the date the Maji (Three Wise Men) arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.
Twelfth Night is so-called because traditionally Christmas was a 12-day celebration starting on December 25. This can cause some confusion as some will class January 6 as Twelfth Night as it’s the 12th day after Christmas.
However, if you take your decorations down before then it’s considered bad luck, and if they remain up after January 6 then according to tradition they should stay out all year.
Up until the 19th century Brits would keep their decorations up until Candlemas Day on February 2, although the Queen still keeps hers up until early February.
Why is taking them down early unlucky?
The last day of Christmas festivities is traditionally on January 5, the eve of Epiphany.
In years gone by it was believed that tree-spirits living in the greenery used to decorate homes, such as holly and ivy.
The festive period provided shelter for these spirits during winter, but they needed to be released outdoors once Christmas was over. If they weren’t the greenery and vegetation would not return, leading to agricultural and food problems.
Some people still adhere to this superstition despite fewer decorations involving foliage.
What to do with Christmas decorations
Most household tips will accept real Christmas trees, and some garden centres and community groups may also take them for recycling.
(Image: Getty)
It’s best to keep other decorations in a watertight, plastic box, or anywhere else, that will protect them from damp and pests.
Any fragile ornaments are worth wrapping in tissue paper or bubble wrap for protection while coiling lights in a neat circle will hopefully save you a whole lot of hassle next Christmas when you get them out again, though we all know they still somewhere get in a right tangle over the next 11 months despite not moving.
Not all wrapping paper can be recycled, but there’s an easy way to find out.
Shiny and metallic varieties are not recyclable, but Recycle Now advises people to use the ‘scrunch test’ to confirm.
If the scrunched up paper in your hand stays in a ball it can go in the recycling, but if it springs back then it can’t.
When are you taking your Christmas decorations down? Let us know in the comments below