The excitement of putting up the Christmas tree, and all the additional twinkling lights and glistening baubles that go with it, will be beginning to simmer down over the coming days.
Although technically you can take your decorations down whenever you want to, according to tradition there is a 'correct' date to it which is deemed good luck for the year ahead.
If you are superstitious you might take the deadline a bit more seriously than most, as it's believed that it can bring bad luck into the New Year if you take yours down too early.
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So, when should I take the tree and decorations down?
The Twelfth Night (January 5) is widely considered to be the last day of the Christmas festivities (eve of the Epiphany). According to superstition it is bad luck to leave your decorations up after the 5th. This belief stems back to the olden days when people used to decorate their homes with ivy and holly.
They used to think tree spirits lived in the greenery and made sure all their festive ornaments and trimmings were taken down in the first week of the New Year to set them free. If the custom wasn't followed it was said to affect the vegetation and greenery for the next twelve months.
The day of the Epiphany is January 6 and in Christian religions it celebrates the time the Three Wise Men (also referred to as Magi) visited baby Jesus - it also remembers his baptism.
What is the best way to store an artificial tree?
If you have an artificial tree the best way to store it is in the cardboard box it came in. If you've had your tree for some time and have lost the box you can buy a pack of boxes. Keep baubles, tinsel and other ornaments and decorations in plastic boxes to avoid them being crushed. If you have glass or porcelain ones wrap them in tissue paper or bubble wrap first so they don't crack.
Once everything is packed up place the boxes in a cool, dry place.
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