Pack it up, pack it in, when to begin?
Christmas is a special time of year, and decorating the tree is the signal that the festive season has arrived. Unfortunately, as much as wish it wasn’t the case, there comes a time when the tree has to come down.
But when should it end?
This can be a question of faith, personal choice or, alternatively, whether you’re a fan of Christmas. At Christmas Tree World, we try to make the festive period as enjoyable as possible, so here is a guide for how long we advise keeping your Christmas tree decorations up.
Just remember, taking your tree down requires as much time as putting it up. You need to consider your tree’s tinsel, Christmas baubles, Christmas tree skirt, Christmas tree lights or even nutcracker soldiers.
Read on to find out just how long you should keep decorations up for at Christmas…
The Twelfth Night
This combines tradition and faith in a tradition stretching back to the Victorian era - taking your decorations down on the twelfth night of Christmas.
The Twelfth Night tradition can vary, depending on which day you celebrate. It can start on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. So, you could celebrate this tradition up to January 6th, the twelfth night of the 12 days.
For many in the west, Christmas Day is the “First day of Christmas”, so, the 12 days run to January 5th, which is Epiphany Eve - when the three wise men visited Jesus Christ. This tradition can cause confusion, depending on which faith you follow or your starting date, as some regard January 6th as Twelfth Night because it is the 12th day after Christmas.
Candlemas
This is the tradition mainly belonging to the Catholic and some Christian faiths, which sees trees remaining up until the start of February.
Believe it or not, this was the tradition until the 19th century, keeping Christmas decorations up until February 2nd where Candlemas marked the end of the holiday. It is from the new testament chapter which commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem to induct him into Judaism.
Of course, if you have a real tree, this date is not ideal - your tree is highly unlikely to last. With an artificial Christmas tree, you won’t have any worries of your tree lasting to this date. For those who would love to see Christmas Day every day, Candlemas could be the perfect excuse to keep the tree up for a whole extra month!
New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day can mean it’s time for a resolution, a new job, a “new me”, big plans, recovering from an NYE party - or just another day.
Tied up in this is an ideal day to take down the Christmas decorations. For many, the Christmas period lasts for the month of December, and so it finishes at the end of the year. If you’re all about the build-up to Christmas, everything afterwards can feel rather flat, so, the start of January may be the perfect time to pack away the tree and decorations.
By taking down your tree and decorations on New Year’s Day, you are signalling an end to the Christmas period and to the previous year. You’re ready for the new year, which brings an easy finality to the festive season.
How should I store my Christmas tree?
Of course, when the Christmas season ends, you need to store your artificial tree away until next December.
Having invested in an artificial Christmas tree, which will last for years to come, you need to pack it away securely. Christmas tree storage bags by Christmas Tree World provide the perfect solution.
Our Christmas tree storage bags can store trees up to 9ft tall. If your tree is larger than this, we would recommend using two bags, however, you can break a Christmas Tree World tree down into parts. The bags are made from strong material and with durable handles, so there’s no struggling with boxes in the loft.
Also available for fibre optic Christmas trees, these bags ensure that when Christmas rolls around again, you can unpack your tree knowing it’s clean, dry and undamaged.
We all wish Christmas could last forever, but the tree has to, reluctantly, come down at some point and we hope this has given you some helpful ideas.
For more handy tips for next year's festive season, read the Christmas Tree World blog. Use our Christmas tree decoration calculator to find out how many decorations and lights you need for your tree.
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