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

Swan_2

we always used to put the tree up on 1st December when the kids were small (but Scrooge my Ex their dad didn't like it) & it kind of fell by the wayside as they grew older, in fact for a few years I'd no tree up at all

but now I have my own place with a huge bay window, my 8' tree goes up in it along with gently twinkling lights (hate those mad multi-colour racing flashing things) on 1st December again & the kids still love it

I don't do cards
but this year my daughter who's an artist is making a very few personal ones with little individual watercolour paintings on them, but I don't expect I'll be getting one :rotfl:


anyway, I think you should just do what's best for you

csh_2

aliasojo wrote: »

: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.

I'm from Edinburgh too and still live nearby and I thought the 12 days before and 12 days after was the norm???? Not just my family but everyone here does (or used to) do this. I too am surprised this isn't the case lol

Mine is up on the 1st or the first Sat in Dec and down on boxing day as this is OH birthday and mine is 29th so like Christmas to be over by then! Plus I hate to see a tree with no presents underneath
Might leave it longer this year if the baby likes the lights

tiamai_d

Out of curiosity, 12 days before, does it make it the 12th or the 13th? 12th would be 12 days before Christmas eve, 13th would be 12 days before Christmas day.

That is assuming my math is any good today, which it may not be...

margaretclare

tiamai_d wrote: »

Out of curiosity, 12 days before, does it make it the 12th or the 13th? 12th would be 12 days before Christmas eve, 13th would be 12 days before Christmas day.

That is assuming my math is any good today, which it may not be...

I've never heard of 12 days before as well as 12 days after Christmas .

The 4 weeks before Christmas Day is Advent, which is like Lent, a time of prayer, penitence and preparation. So, most definitely NOT a time for partying.

Christmas starts at midnight on Christmas Eve. If you count 12 days from then, the 1st day being Christmas Day, the 12th day is 5th January. According to my diary, 6th January is Epiphany - the 'showing', Jesus's first appearance in public when his parents took him to the temple and he met the 2 devout old people, Simeon and Anna. Simeon's song 'Nunc Dimittis' formed part of traditional Evensong in the Church of England according to the Book of Common Prayer.

fernliebee

When we were little we would put the tree up 12 days before christmas too. I'm from Bucks so it is a bit more widespread, I'm surprised others hadn't heard of this too. As we got older my mum would delay it as she doesn't like the decs up for long, so we would put it up a few days before, and then leave it 12 days after. Now she just puts it up on christmas eve for when we go over on the big day, and takes it down a day or two later.

Last year, and this year my tree has gone up/ is going up on 1st Dec as I always wanted the tree up for as long as poss! I love christmas, and the excuse to have all the decorations up, though most of them are homemade ones they still look nice. I'm also especially excited this year as DD will be 18 months so she can enjoy it a bit more!

csh_2

tiamai_d wrote: »

Out of curiosity, 12 days before, does it make it the 12th or the 13th? 12th would be 12 days before Christmas eve, 13th would be 12 days before Christmas day.

That is assuming my math is any good today, which it may not be...

13th Tia x

margaretclare

However, about the 12 days, there is an older tradition:

"Æftera Geola – After Yule (January). The first day of Æftera Geola was midwinter day, which was also new year day (now 25th December). Midwinter day began at the fourth sunrise after the winter solstice. Yule was the instant the sun rose and brought an end to the old year and a beginning to the first day of the new year. There followed twelve days and nights in which there was celebration of the passing of midwinter and the return of brightness and new life. This holiday (holiday from OE haligdæg meaning holy day) lasted until the twelfth night of Æftera Geola (now 6th January). It is probable that a fertility ritual involving ploughs took place on the first Monday after twelfth night – Plough Monday."

This dates back to before Christianity, so the 12 days is of very ancient lineage. Reading this thread is the first time I'd ever heard of 12 days before (I grew up in Yorkshire). However, this may be where it comes from:

"Ærra Geola, before Yule (December) Yule marked the death of one year and the birth of the next. It is associated with Ing and the Green Man, who were perhaps the same being. It is probable that twelve nights before midwinter day there was a fire festival which anticipated the turn of the year and gave praise to the sun. The night before midwinter sunrise was called Mothers’ Night (Modranect) and might have been a festival that honoured all mothers and in particular the Earth Mother who gave birth to a son called Ing, the God of Brightness who represented rebirth. The symbol of Ing is the boar, and a boar’s head is traditionally served on a bed of greenery on Midwinter day (now Christmas Day). If the Night of Mothers was a celebration of the Earth Mother and her giving birth to Ing, a sky god, it would explain why the Church chose to celebrate the birth of Christ on that day and it would suggest that across Northern Europe all the people of Ice, Fire and Steel celebrated in a similar way."

Paparika

3onitsway wrote: »

Ours is/was always the weekend before Christmas, and cards sent at the start of December.

My birthday is at the start of December and I hate my birthday cards having to share space with Christmas tat!

I noticed my first decorated house last Monday - just around the corner. Can anyone beat 17th November?

mines the 15th, i don't get pressies, same old excuse, you'll get a bigger pressie at Christmas, it never happens.

i was told to have 2 birthdays, one in the summer

Spendless

I asked my Grandmother(in her mid 80's) the other year when threads started aboout when to put the tree up and when it used to be done and asked if they'd left it till Xmas Eve too. She said she'd only ever seen that done once, in a shop window and pointed out that though people in more rural areas may have left it till Christmas Éve, she lived in London and her family did not have a car, therefore they had to go and get the tree at a more convenient time to them.

Alcmene

We have always put it up on the 8th of December (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) and don't take it down till after the Epiphany as we celebrate it. So from the 8th-8th!