When do we take our Christmas trees down?

[seanmlow]

Never been sure when it is!

[Siduhe]

I don't think it's a hard and fast rule but I was always taught that Christmas decorations were taken down on Twelfth Night (which is 6th Jan in Western Europe). It's the end of the 12 days of Christmas (the Epiphany) and you get to drink wassail punch whilst so doing (which tends to relieve the boredom).

Alternatively when your Christmas tree starts to go brown...

[EDOldie]

This sunday or surely you will burn in hell for eternity!

[SimonM]

12th Night is 5th January not 6th!

SimonM (pedants'r'us)

[EDOldie]

OMG looks like I won't need central heating in the afterlife then.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Wassail on the fifth, remove tree on sixth - helps with readjusting head trying not to get bitten by the damn thing.

[Siduhe]

SimonM Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 12th Night is 5th January not 6th!

>

> SimonM (pedants'r'us)

Quite right (and hardly pedantry :)))- I remembered there was some confusion about precisely when it is - thought it was between 6/7 Jan - turns out it is between 5/6 Jan.

So we now mark Twelfth Night from sunset on 5 Jan, and consider Twelfth Day is 6th Jan - unless you're Austrian, Maltese or Dutch by the looks of it, when you mark it on 6 Jan.

Interestingly, it looks like we Brits used to celebrate it on Jan 6th as well, but now don't...

http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/book/jan5.html#whyjan5

[wee quinnie]

Whenever you feel like it?