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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Ellie Kemp

When should your Christmas decorations come down?

It's the calm after the storm. Santa has been and gone, all the gifts have been opened and most of the Christmas chocolate has disappeared.

There is probably still plenty of festive food left over, though, as they seem to last forever. Turkey sandwiches for the next two weeks, anyone?

Christmas and Boxing Day are officially done for another year. Soon it will be time to start thinking about getting the kids back to school and returning to work.

Read more: Shoppers say Aldi has 'won Christmas' with 'next level' pig in blanket

But with most children not returning to school until next week, it can be tricky to know when exactly you should take your decorations down. It can be tempting to try and drag out the festive spirit for as long as possible - but when should you call it a day?

Of course, it's up to you to choose when to take down your decorations - and it often isn't a small feat. But when does tradition say you should pack up your tree and tinsel?

Most Christians take down their decorations on the Twelfth Night which is the twelfth day after Christmas. It signals the end of the festive season and it's believed by many to be bad luck to keep decorations up after this date.

The Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve, falls on Thursday January 5 2023.

However, Catholics traditionally wait until January 6 to take their trees down, as that is the day after Epiphany. The Epiphany is a feast day which celebrates the revelation of God incarnating as Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile other Christians might not take their decorations down until as late as February. That's because their Christmas celebrations continue to Candlemas - a Christian Holy Day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple - which takes place on February 2.

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