In the UK most people take decorations down on 5th January, so the day before Twelfth Night/Epiphany. It is tradition that it's bad luck to leave them up after this so you rarely see decorations up later. There is some debate about whether Christmas starts from sunset on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day morning which can affect timing but essentially most people leave decorations up until the 5th or latest 6th. Very few people take them down before then, and it's extremely rare to take them down before New Year.

Victoria- what is said to happen to those who launch their tree out at the stroke of midnight on Christmas eve?

I am in the Yucatan in Mexico and the Christmas trees are shipped from Oregon. I will be taking it down the 26th while it still has a few needles on it.

Nothing, but supposedly you'll have bad luck all year if you leave them up beyond Twelfth Night. The only way to avoid it is to leave them up all year...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/4126725/Christmas-ends-in-confusion-over-when-Twelfth-Night-falls.html

So Margo had an epiphany about the Epiphany! That is when our tree comes down. Unless it is dropping needles everywhere before then.

Yeah handy- you got it LOL

Thanks for the article Victoria- good to know I am safe;)

I always take our tree down on New Years Day. The house looks new to you again after getting rid of all the red/green things

Victoria, I remember that Telegraph article:) That said, though, my grans said as long as the decorations were down by Candlemas (2 Feb when the new candles for the year are presented and blessed) we were safe from bad luck so erm, there have been a couple of busy years there when I did have the decorations up until Candlemas afternoon.

Don't need a date to take them down since I never put them up.

Victoria, thanks for the article, quite interesting. Another tidbit of info learned by me on houzz! Sunnie2day, you're a better person than I because I would freak if they were left up that long.

Plus, I am Catholic but never raised with the Epiphany clause. My maternal grandmother(French-Canadian) did however. Even on Good Friday at Eastertime my mother was never allowed to do anything fun, like going out, even as a teenager.

Printesa, thanks for info on shoes. And last but not least, Margo, brilliant explanation on your formality with Saint.

Dear Margo and Houzzers,
I am part Belgian is well. Epiphany is "driekoningen". We have a party with cake with one almond baked inside. The lucky one to find the almond in his/her piece of cake is king for the day and gets to wear the golden ( paper) crown. Everyone helps to take the tree down, wrap the ornaments in tissue paper etc. In our family it means the end of the holiday season. Merry Christmas, Zalig Kerstfeest ,Joyeux Noël !

Merry Christmas , Joyeux Noël, Buon Natale,Feliz Navidad everyone

Growing up the tree was not taken down until "Little Christmas" is what my mother called it, Jan 6. We never put the tree up until a week before Christmas. Before my mother went to bed Christmas Eve or early Christmas morning she would put out treats for Christmas morning. The dinning room table would have fruit, usually oranges and tangerines, nuts, Redstone candy, (you could only get this around Christmas) which was chocolate covered nuts, chocolate with coconut, nougat candy and ribbon candy. This was as much a part of Christmas as the tree.

What would you like to say?
You don't take them down :)

Late January!

I live in México. Usually we take our tree down on January 6th, the day we remember the Wisdom men visites Jesus.
As in Spain, it is beleived they are who bring presents instead of Santa Claus.

If the tree is still green, we keep it up until January 15th. It becomes a Birthday tree for multiple family members!

Loving all the beautiful Christmas trees on here.

A birthday tree? Bright idea, with present underneath for her this year. Thanks!

¡Mariatita, si, Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos! I grew up in Southern California, two of my favourite memories of the Christmas season are Las Posadas and Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos.

I was surprised when I lived in Guatemala during the '90s that they didn't do those two events with as much enthusiasm as Californios y Mexicanos. I really miss the posadas as watching or participating in one really made a difference in how everyone thought about Christmas. Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos too, we used to receive new missals, rosaries, and similar to remind and assist us in our spiritual journeys for the next year in honour of the way The Holy Family used the gifts of the Wisemen for their escape into Egypt.

¡Muchisimas gracias por los recuerdos, Feliz Navidad, y prospero Ano Nuevo a usted y su familia!

Trees (all 4) outside lights (10,000+) ti all stays up and lit until after the New Year, Then it comes down over the next 2 weeks.

I used to get my tree around Dec 15th, and take it down around Jan 15th, right after my birthday. I liked having the festive tree up for my birthday but since moving to FL, I have discovered that buying a tree in mid Dec, means getting a tree that's been cut and sitting in 80º temps for a few weeks. They really need to be purchased as soon as they're available. This year I waited a week, so we'll see if this tree makes a full four weeks.

Never before New Years Day considered bad luck I do the day after like getting on with a fresh start to a new year

We take ours down after New Years. Love your paint color what is it?;)

I’d also like to know the paint color, please.

Usually after three Kings when we take down Christmas decorations. My kids get to open their gifts on Christmas Day but the gifts that me and my husband received we open it on three kings day. Merry Christmas everyone.

We take ours down Boxing Day. But it has been up since the beginning of November.

I take mine down during the first week of January...if I feel like it.

Little Christmas Jan 6

This is a little off topic, but there are some great decorating ideas in this ideabook-
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/20994001

Thanks for sharing Progressive. Tis the season

Progressive, those are beautiful decorations and yes, I did get some ideas, thank-you!

Epiphany is when mine comes down. Mom used to tell us when we were young that it was bad luck to take it down before. I miss it when it comes down.

Me and my siblings usually take it down on the 6th of Jan given the whole "not supposed to have it after that" thing, but now reading the comments I really love the idea of taking it down on NYE as a goodbye to the old year and look forward to the new year ahead, wipe the slate clean!! I am going to do that from now, if I can convince the rest of my family haha :)

It's an old post, but it's a new Christmas season! :) Now I can report that buying my tree earlier, helped it last waaaay longer than it should have. I had it up for about 7 weeks! The funniest thing is, it still looked perfect, then I started removing ornaments, and lights. :D

Even close up it looked good... until I touched it. LOL...

While taking down the tree, I noticed that my black cat, sitting on the red chest, looked very familiar...

solraven, thanks so much for making me laugh hahahaha!

Trees go up right after Thanksgiving and come down January 1 or 2. Would keep everything up until Epiphany but just don't have the energy to do it after work! It's a lot of work but I just love looking at all of it - inside & out. Love Christmas and all that goes with it!

If it is a real tree as soon as the needles are all dried out and start falling of like dead soldiers it goes outside. With a fake tree you can keep it up past New Years or year round if you like. I usually take our fake tree down some time in the first week of January. I hate taking down the tree...seems like such work and the end of the holiday season.

Cabingirl, if you wait 7 weeks to remove the lights and ornaments, all you have to do is sweep up the tree, and carry out. It's so light, the you can carry it w/ one hand! :D

Well I used to take mine down on the 26th-work schedule and juggling small children didn't give me any spare time. Now New Year is a big celebration and we take down shortly thereafter

Epiphany (Jan 6) is when ours comes down + lights are switched off.

We also celebrate Nollaig na mBan - Women's Christmas (also called Little Christmas) on the same day. This is when our menfolk are supposed to take responsibilities of the household. The womenfolk go out (after Mass) to celebrate the day with their friends, sisters, mothers, daughters and aunts, all age-groups together, maybe shopping and lunch or dinner and drinkies. Bars and restaurants serve mostly women and girls on this night and organise music and spot prizes - like clothes pegs, household gloves, bottles of washing up liquid! Our men-folk are supposed to have packed away Christmas by the time we return .....

When does the Christmas tree go up is more to the point. And when are the first Christmas gifts bought and Christmas cards sent ?

Do the blokes actually do it?

Dunno who does it. Maybe xmas fairy ... I'm usually a bit under the weather on return. All I know is xmas is packed up + that I have to repack everything properly the next day

Jan. 6th...the beginning of Mardi Gras when our tree becomes a Mardi Gras tree And then that stays up till the end of the Mardi Gras season (midnight beginning Ash Wed.)

Ma

I usually take mine down New Year's day...but now, never before the New Year comes in...for me it brings Christ into the year.