Is there a said date when its ok to put up a christmas tree?

ginvzt

Ok, we always used to put it up day before Christmas Eve or even in the first half of the day (it is a tradition to have a family mel on Christmas Eve where I am from). Goes down on Three Kings, or earlier. Depending when we had to go back to school.

Now, from Wikipedia:

Both setting up and taking down a Christmas tree are associated with specific dates. In Europe, when the practice of setting up evergreen trees originated in pagan times, the practice was associated with the Winter Solstice, around December 21. Tree decoration was later adopted into Christian practise after the Church set December 25 as the birth of Christ, thereby supplanting the pagan celebration of the solstice.

Traditionally, Christmas trees were not brought in and decorated until Christmas Eve (24 December), and then removed the day after twelfth night (6 January); to have a tree up before or after these dates was even considered bad luck. Modern commercialisation of Christmas has resulted in trees being put up much earlier; in shops often as early as late October (in the UK, Selfridge's Christmas department is up by early September, complete with Christmas trees). Some households in the U.S. do not put up the tree until the second week of December, and leave it up until the 6th of January (Epiphany). In Germany, traditionally the tree is put up on the 24th of December and taken down on the 7th of January, though many start one or two weeks earlier, and in Roman Catholic homes the tree may be kept until late January. In Australia, the Christmas tree is usually put up on the 1st of December, which occurs about a week before the school summer holidays; except for South Australia, where most people put up their tree after the Adelaide Credit Union Christmas Pageant in early November. Some traditions suggest that Christmas trees may be kept up until no later than the 2nd of February, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Candlemas), when the Christmas season effectively closes. Superstitions say it's a bad sign if Christmas greenery is not removed by Candlemas Eve.

DaisyNelson

faithcecilia wrote: »

Christmas eve, after 6pm. Needs to be down by 10am on Boxing day:D

Sorry, I am not the most festive of people!!:rotfl:

Possibly a little excessive. Never would be better.
Don't do christmas.

hermanmunster_3

I prefer 2nd week in december to about the beginning of feb ! or longer if poss. Can get away with the Feb as in the christian calendar christmas goes on until the presentation of Christ in the temple - Feb 2nd or 6 weeks after christmas

Spendless

aliasojo wrote: »

Isn't it supposed to be up 12 days before and down 12 days after? (For the tree obviously.)

In reality it depends on how festive I'm feeling. If we have a stress free house, ours goes up on the 1st of December, if we're stressed out (usual :rolleyes:) then it goes up around the 15th.

Last couple of years I've left the cards so late there's been no point in sending them.

Nope.:p This is what my MIL always claims only to be told by me that I've only ever heard her say it [STRIKE]and therefore will be taking no notice[/STRIKE] so don't you start saying it too.:mad:;)

OP- put it up when you want though many will think you bonkers if it goes up in November. Mine gooes up on the most convenient w/end in Dec.

PasturesNew

I used to go for the first full weekend in December.

SingleSue

We used to put ours up about the second week of December, since hubby left, it has become later and to a lesser amount until last year when I didn't bother at all.

aliasojo

Spendless wrote: »

Nope.:p This is what my MIL always claims only to be told by me that I've only ever heard her say it [STRIKE]and therefore will be taking no notice[/STRIKE] so don't you start saying it too.:mad:;)

:rotfl:

This was really common when I was growing up in Edinburgh. I'm surprised to find out it's not more widespread.

Maybe I'll tell loads more people and eventually everyone will believe it's the done thing....but not know why.

donquine

Evansangel wrote: »

Its the first year im actually living properly in my own house and i dont know when its 'acceptable' to put up the christmas tree and decorations.

Whenever you damn well feel like. It's your house; you could have decorated in July if you wanted. Hope you have a lovely Christmas.

busiscoming2

Put it up and take it down when you want too!
Our tree usually goes up about 2 weeks before, this year probably the weekend of 12th/13th and I always take them down on New Years Day because by then I am fed up with them and also it is 'next year' and a new start!
Happy Christmas!

margaretclare

DaisyNelson wrote: »

Possibly a little excessive. Never would be better.
Don't do christmas.

I agree.

When I was a child, Christmas Eve was busy - the house would be cleaned from top to bottom and then the tree put up as darkness fell. There'd be carol singers round either from the village church or the chapel, and I don't mean the kind of carol singers that only know two lines of 'We wish you a merry Christmas'!

My grandad would bring in the greenery last thing, holly etc. We didn't have tinsel.

This Sunday is 'Stir-up Sunday' when the cakes and puddings were made - everyone had a go at stirring and making a wish. Although some would have been made back in October.

Nowadays my only concession to Christmas is sending cards, and although I bought the cards ages ago I haven't written any yet. I tend to buy them from a different charity each year and this year it's Help for Heroes.

The 12 days, IIRC, starts at midnight Christmas Eve and ends at Epiphany, 5th January, if I've got that right. Next Sunday, 29th November, is the first Sunday of Advent. People now talk about 'it's Christmas now' - no, it isn't. It's not even Advent yet. Christmas starts midnight Christmas Eve.

We are going away for a 4-night break over Christmas. It's a country house hotel in the Midlands, B&B and dinner, en suite room etc and there will be 'Christmas lunch with all the trimmings' if we want it, which we don't. There's a leisure centre with heated swimming pool which is open every day, even for 3 hours on Christmas Day, and that's where I intend to be when everyone else is having turkey and the trimmings! We may find a local church to go to, because our own church has become 'show and tell' on Christmas morning i.e. 'what did you get'. As we don't do presents either we like to avoid it. We do go to the annual carol service which is always very enjoyable - kids doing what they do best, acting, dressing up, singing.

But to answer the original question, it seems to be nowadays 'do as you please, there are no rules'.