We made it through the holidays! We are finally seeing the back of the fridge again, we have put the wrapping paper away and have finally eaten the last Christmas Cookie! Now it’s time to tackle the Christmas Tree!
Like so many people, I put my Christmas Tree up early this year! As soon as I wake up in the morning I turn the lights on my Christmas Tree. I have enjoyed the twinkling lights each day and night! Now the time has come to turn it off and take it down!
Just as we have traditions on how we put the tree up, there are traditions on how we take down our Christmas Tree. Some families take the tree down on December 26th and some families take down their tree on New Year’s Day. There is also a tradition that some may not know, waiting until January 7th, which is called the Epiphany. Many Christian Families mark this day as the end of the Christmas season, 12 days after December 25th. These twelve days are when the 3 Kings (or wise men) were making their journey to see Baby Jesus. It was on the twelfth night that the 3 Kings met the Baby Jesus. Some suggest that this tradition brings you good luck for the rest of the year too!
As we say good bye to our Christmas Tree, there’s really no true correct answer on when to take down your Christmas Tree. For me, it will be one less play toy for my cat, for others it will be because all of the needles are falling off. Enjoy your tree as long as you can! It’s not good bye, it’s see you again in 12 short months!
The best of all gifts around any Christmas Tree: the presence of a Happy Family all wrapped up in each other!