O Tannenbaum

[Mr. Pencil]

Just wondering

[jklcpa]

None of the choices exactly fit for me. I take the tree down sometime after New Year's when I am done enjoying its beauty, but not specifically on the 6th.

[Crank]

Usually after Jan 1

[Guest Taxed]

When we used real trees we had to get it down the week of Jan 1 because we had a special pickup. Now I use fake trees but kept that tradition.

[Mr. Pencil]

sometime after New Year's when I am done enjoying its beauty, but not specifically on the 6th.

I edited the choices a bit.

[JRS]

None of the choices exactly fit for me. I take the tree down sometime after New Year's when I am done enjoying its beauty, but not specifically on the 6th.

Same with my family.

[Eric]

It'll come down after new years, and then the first evening we get that's not bitter cold, we'll set it on fire along with discarded cardboard boxes and wrapping paper.

[ILLMAS]

After the Three Kings holiday.

[Catherine]

There was a great cartoon a WHOLE bunch of years ago; a guy taking down a mostly-bare real tree with a couple of tired ornaments still clinging to it. Caption said, "Every year after Labor Day, Harold finally takes down the Christmas tree."

But that's not one of the choices...

I do know one family -- with a really small living room -- who puts their tree up (only with lights) on the porch. They leave it up 'til there has been enough of a spring thaw to actually remove it safely. Usually mid-March.

[mcb39]

Because of the onset of tax season, I still find some miscellaneous little decorations still hanging around in June.

[jshtax]

After the Three Kings holiday.

What day is this that you speak of? never heard of it before

[jklcpa]

What day is this that you speak of? never heard of it before

Three Kings Day is also called "Epiphany", "The Feast of the Magi", and "The Manifestation of God", and is the day that Jesus was revealed to the 3 kings (wisemen). The Eastern Christian Church celebrates the day of Christ's birth on Jan 6. And for many, the 12 days of Christmas are from Dec 25 to Jan 6 ending on Three Kings Day, and not from Dec 13 to Dec 25 as some celebrate it.

[jshtax]

Is this mainly a Catholic thing?

[jklcpa]

No, not a Catholic thing at all, although Epiphany is a feast day for Catholics but not a day of holy obligation on the Church calendar. The eastern religions (Eastern Christian Church, the Egyptian Coptic Church, and others) also celebrate Epiphany and consider it a very important holiday, only behind Easter and Pentecost (I think). The Greeks celebrate on a different day in January because of a different calendar that was followed.

If you google "Epiphany", Wikipedia has a good history and talks of the other religions that celebrate it, as do some other sites that will come up, if you are interested.

[jshtax]

No, not a Catholic thing at all, although Epiphany is a feast day for Catholics but not a day of holy obligation on the Church calendar. The eastern religions (Eastern Christian Church, the Egyptian Coptic Church, and others) also celebrate Epiphany and consider it a very important holiday, only behind Easter and Pentecost (I think). The Greeks celebrate on a different day in January because of a different calendar that was followed.

If you google "Epiphany", Wikipedia has a good history and talks of the other religions that celebrate it, as do some other sites that will come up, if you are interested.

Thanks!

[Guest Taxed]

>> although Epiphany is a feast day for Catholics

Another feast day. They need to space these out a bit. Middle of February sounds like a good time??

[Lion EA]

Epiphany is celebrated in my Episcopal church. And, my hubby taught in a neighboring small city with a growing Hispanic population, so covered Three Kings' Day in his choral concerts and classes.

I stopped putting our tree up as we have been at my son's Inn since Christmas Day enjoying their tree and decorations.

Growing up, my family tended to take the tree down the weekend after New Year's. In my first apartment I had little to no storage space so left the tree up until I could borrow a ladder to get it on top of the kitchen cabinets (artificial tree, obviously). More recently, real trees would come down the weekend after New Year's or sooner if dry and brittle. Live trees would go into the basement or garage and wait until the ground was OK for planting. Our artificial tree would come down after New Year's, but everyone would go back to school/work and leave me to undecorate the house. It was sad to undecorate. So, some years I would put up the tree only or all the decorations only except the tree to have less of a difference when I put everything away in January. Now, I do very little and enjoy the Inn's decorations. This year I put out candles and placemats and a few of my favorite picture ornaments. Our presents (unwrapped now) are still piled on the hearth with the new framed picture from our daughter (skydiving before & after!) and the new candlesticks made by my son and daughter-in-law on the mantle.

[ILLMAS]

This the first year we put up a nativity scene along with our tree.

[mcb39]

This the first year we put up a nativity scene along with our tree.

That's what it's all about.

[Guest Taxed]

Because of the 8 to 12 inches of snow expected in MA tomorrow, I took down the Christmas decorations today. It is going to be a mess till Friday!

[kcjenkins]

i always feel just a little sad when all the decorations are down.