christmas trees
Julie Hambleton
Julie Hambleton
December 19, 2023 ·  4 min read

Did You Know That It’s Actually Tradition To Leave Your Christmas Tree Up Until January 6? Here’s Why.

It is mid-way through December and the Holiday season is in full swing. Whether you’ve been to your first Christmas party or not, you’ve probably been seeing holiday promotions, hearing seasonal music on the radio, and admiring the beautiful Christmas decorations for a while now. We all have opinions, of course, on how soon is too soon to deck the halls and start listening exclusively to Christmas carols. There is another debate, however: When do you take down the Christmas tree after all the presents have been unwrapped? We’ve got a suggestion that may help you. 

How Long Do You Leave Your Christmas Tree Up?

Everyone has their own opinions on when Christmas decorations should go up. Some go full holiday mode the morning immediately after Halloween. In the United States, some set the rule of not until after Thanksgiving has passed. Others prefer waiting until December 1st to start putting the holiday tunes on blast. Then there’s those of us who do everything last-minute and the Christmas tree goes up hurriedly on December twenty-third or fourth.

While there are many debates about Christmas “rules” and traditions, there’s one that sometimes gets overlooked. That would be when the Christmas tree, and the rest of the decorations, for that matter, come down? When do you strip the tree of the tinsel, lights, and ornaments and drag it to the curb (or, in the case of fake trees, to the garage or attic)?

For some, this job gets done first thing, the day after Christmas is over. Others consider this a little bit grinchy and prefer to leave it up until at least after their New Year’s Eve party. Then there’s the group of Christmas-lovers who try to grasp at that holiday magic as long as possible. They will keep the tree up long after the Christmas music stops.

Group of People Standing on Green Grass Field
Any Lane | Pexels

Read: Why You Need to Keep an Empty Vegetable Oil Bottle Under Your Sink at All Times

Traditionally How Long Should The Christmas Tree Stay Up?

Usually, a person from the first group and one from the second or third end up together. They then spend every Christmas season arguing about whether the Christmas tree should stay up or come down to wait another year. To help those who are the holiday decorations ideological opposite to those they live with, we’re going to bring a bit of age-old tradition to help you come to a compromise.

We all likely know or have heard the song The Twelve Days Of Christmas. This song is referring to a Christian tradition that dates back to the fourth century. For many, this means that the holiday season ends on The Twelfth Night – which is the twelfth day after Christmas. This is the day that supposedly the Three Wise Men finally reached Bethlehem to bestow their gifts on the baby Jesus. This night is called the Eve of The Epiphany. (1)

Whether or not the Wise Men did actually meet Jesus twelve days after he was born is also another debate. Regardless, this is what many Christians have believed for centuries. So, in this tradition, Christmas begins either the 24 or 25 of December and therefore ends the fifth or sixth of January (yet again, another debate). For this reason, those who celebrated the holiday season in this way leave their Christmas Tree and all the trimmings up until either the 5th or 6th of the following month.

Dad and Daughter Sitting and Clapping Near a Christmas Tree
cottonbro | Pexels

The Eve Of Epiphany

Some people debate whether the twelfth day of Christmas is the fifth or the sixth of January. The general consensus, however, is January 6. This day is also known as The Feast of Epiphany, The Twelfth Night, or Three Kings Day. In some places, for example in Spain, Three Kings Day is a rather large celebration. (2)

Typically it is thought to be quite bad luck to take your Christmas tree and other decorations down before this day. If you’re at all superstitious, you should probably wait until January 6 to complete this task.

Just The Beginning

If you’re still feeling sad about taking down all the decorations on Three Kings Day, don’t worry. This day really just marks the start of yet another season full of fun and festivities: Mardi Gras. For this reason, as part of their Three Kings day feast, many families will have a king cake for dessert. This is a cake that has a small figurine of a baby Jesus baked inside it, and sometimes other treasures as well. If your slice contains the baby, you win – and also you have to make the cake the following year.

Keep Reading: Can You Tell If This Hat Is Green Or Brown?

Sources

  1. When Should You Take Down Your Christmas Tree? This Answer Will Definitely Surprise You.” Good Housekeeping. Kayla Keegan. November 13, 2020.
  2. According to Tradition, You Should Leave Your Tree Up Until January 6—Here’s Why.” Yahoo. Emily VanSchmus. January 3, 2020.