Taking down the christmas decorations
When To Take Christmas Tree Down & Decorations: Twelfth Night
Photography: Polly Wreford / Styling: Marianne Cotterill / Direction: Sarah Keady
When should you take your Christmas tree down? Once Christmas Day and Twixmas passes, attention often turns to tidying the house and packing up the tree, including decorations (such as wreaths, lights and garlands) and cards. There's often confusion – and debate – about the right time to do this. But you shouldn't be tempted to take your Christmas decorations down too quickly because tradition stipulates that it should stay up for a little longer than you might think.
Twelfth Night
Christian tradition dating back to the 4th century marks Twelfth Night, the end of Christmas and the Eve of the Epiphany (Christian feast day), as the time to take down your Christmas tree and pack away your decorations again.
That means you can enjoy the twinkling lights for a little while longer, because Twelfth Night falls on either 5th or 6th January 2022 – and the dates depend on tradition. Be warned though: leaving your Christmas decorations up after this date is thought to bring bad luck.
After Advent, which is best described as the period of four weeks before Christmas in preparation and celebration of the birth of Jesus, Christmas celebrations traditionally started on Christmas Day and lasted for 12 days (known as the 12 Days of Christmas), finishing on the evening of 5th January, known as Twelfth Night.
The Epiphany on 6th January is a celebration in itself, marking the Magi – the Three Kings or Wise Men – visiting baby Jesus in his manger in Bethlehem, with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Read more: The best Christmas tree storage to buy – and the best storage solutions for all your decorations
House Beautiful/Dan Duchars
The Church of England celebrates Twelfth Night on 5th January, and the season of Epiphany from 6th January to 2nd February. However, some mark 6th January as Twelfth Night, counting the 12 days after Christmas Day, which is where the confusion stems from.
'Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany and is the night, tradition says, when Christmas decorations should be taken down,' a Church of England spokesperson told The Telegraph. 'Epiphany, on the other hand, is the day when the Church, theologically, marks the arrival of the wise men to give their gifts to the baby Jesus: the day when some will add the wise men to their nativity scenes.'
New Year's Eve
There is another, perhaps lesser-known, tradition that in fact states that you should take your Christmas tree down on New Year's Eve (31st December) before midnight. For the superstitious types, it is thought you may have bad luck in the New Year if you keep your tree up longer than this period.
House Beautiful/Mark Scott
Roman Catholics
However, Roman Catholic families can choose to keep their tree up until 2nd February, according to the traditions of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
The Queen
Elsewhere, the Queen actually leaves her Christmas decorations up even longer, up until 6th February, which marks the anniversary of her father, King George VI's death.
He passed away in 1952 at Sandringham House where the royal family spend Christmas. In a normal year, the Queen typically stays at Sandringham until early February to mark the anniversary before returning to Buckingham Palace.
What to do with your real Christmas tree
suteishiGetty Images
While there are many traditions, whenever you decide to take down your Christmas tree, don't forget to do your bit for the environment. If you have a real Christmas tree, remember that it can be recycled for composting and wood chipping – the chippings can then be used locally in parks or woodland areas.
Some councils will collect Christmas trees with normal garden waste, some will have designated collections and others will have special drop-off points. Visit your local authority's website for further guidance. You'll also find that many garden centres are happy to take old trees too. And, if you have a potted Christmas tree, remember you can plant it in the garden to give it life beyond the festive season.
Meanwhile, if you have rented a real Christmas tree this year, ensure you organise with your tree supplier when your tree will be collected.
Elsewhere, if you have an artificial Christmas tree, take a more eco-friendly approach and reduce waste by storing it and re-using each year. According to the Carbon Trust, an artificial Christmas tree needs to be used for 10 Christmases for it to have a lower carbon footprint than a real one.
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When to Take Down Your Christmas Tree to Avoid Bad Luck – SheKnows
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We wish we could keep our Christmas trees up year-round. No room will ever feel cozier than when it’s filled with garland, twinkling lights and of course, a decorated tree. There’s something about walking into a room and smelling the citrusy aroma of a pine tree or having twinkly lights on in the evenings that makes us extraordinarily reluctant to leave this one piece of Christmas behind.
Related story This $25 Collagen & Retinol Body Cream Set With 62,000 Reviews Is a ‘Gift Sent From Heaven' for Sensitive Skin
Alas, Christmas is over, and the time to take down our beautifully decorated, delightful-smelling trees is fast approaching. Although some people (perhaps a Scrooge?) are thrilled to get an oversize plant out of their house, many of us feel quite sad about letting go of the tree. We’re happy to put it off for as long as possible — maybe even a little too long.
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Before you decide to get rid of the tree, it’s a good idea to check with your city to see if there are any restrictions for throwing out a tree or if they have scheduled pickup dates for them.
Now, you’ve decided to clear the room of all Christmas cheer (insert crying emoji here) and all that’s left to do is pick a date. Some people choose dates for superstitious reasons, some for religious reasons and some just pick a date that’s most convenient for them (usually sometime in February). Here are three of the most popular dates to take down the tree:
Dec. 31: Take your tree down on New Year’s Eve before the bells toll at midnight. Otherwise, it’s said you’ll be dragging all your baggage and bad luck from last year into the new year… if you’re superstitious about these things, that is.
Jan. 5: Take your tree down on this day, traditionally considered the Twelfth Day of Christmas — i.e., the last of 12 days of Christmas merriment. Think of it as getting closure on the holiday season.
Jan. 6: Take it down on Jan. 6 in observance of the Epiphany, a Christian holiday marking the revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus.
Again, some would say leaving your tree up beyond the 5th or 6th brings bad luck.
Of course, taking down the tree and properly storing all of those ornaments and lights requires a few key products. Here are some of our favorite holiday organizers to help make this year’s tree take-down and next year’s tree assembly a breeze.
Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. QVC is a SheKnows sponsor, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Christmas Tree Bag
Image: Bethlehem Lights.This is such an affordable way to store and protect your tree. The bag is ultra-durable so even if you’re storing this somewhere like an outdoor shed, your tree will be just fine.
Christmas Tree Bag $64 Buy now
Ornament Storage Box
Image: Zober.
There’s nothing more disappointing than finding a broken ornament when you go to put your tree up. Keep all of your favorite ornaments safe and sound in this festive storage box .
Ornament Storage Box $34.99 Buy now
Light Storage Reels
Image: Zober.Save yourself hours of untangling time by wrapping your lights around one of these Christmas light reels. They will keep your lights from getting all bunched up and once you’ve got them wrapped around the reels, you can stack the reels in the protective bag that comes with them.
Christmas Light Reels $32.99 Buy now
A version of this article was originally published in December 2015.
How to photograph Christmas decorations
Publication date: 12/30/2014
What New Year's holiday without a decorated Christmas tree? People not only decorate the Christmas tree in a close family circle, but willingly share photos of the dressed up forest beauty with each other on social networks.
Of particular interest to the photographer are various unusual Christmas decorations. They always want to show close-up. In addition, shooting Christmas decorations is also useful for learning photography: in this way we can master the basics of shooting objects, practice composing shots, and once again practice setting up shooting parameters.
NIKON D810 / 85.0 mm f/1.4 SETTINGS: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/3s, 85.0 mm equiv.
Choosing a Christmas toy for shooting
I chose an old Christmas tree toy in the shape of an owl for shooting. I think that vintage things are more interesting for shooting than others: they have a touch of time, they are unique in many ways and sometimes have their own history. Naturally, our toy should not be in a void. Against its background is the Christmas tree itself with various decorations. But everything except the owl is out of focus, remains not sharp, does not distract the viewer's attention from the main subject.
To sharpen only the owl, and blur the rest, you need to shoot on an open aperture. In this case, it is recommended to use high-aperture optics. What lenses are suitable for shooting Christmas decorations?
For cameras with an APS-C sensor (Nikon D3300, Nikon D5300, Nikon D7100) I recommend lenses with a focal length of 50-85 mm: Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G Nikkor, Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G Nikkor , Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G Nikkor, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G. For full-frame cameras - a slightly longer telephoto lens with a focal length of more than 85 mm. If you want to shoot some very small toys at close range, it makes sense to use macro lenses: Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor, Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 60 mm f / 2.8G ED.
Lighting selection
Do not shoot Christmas toys with the built-in flash (or front-facing external flash). Of course, it is easier with her, but the lighting she gives is flat, unnatural. In addition, extra ugly glare may occur on the toy.
Picture taken with the built-in flash. Agree, the lighting is not so expressive.
NIKON D810 / 85.0 mm f/1.4 SETTINGS: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/125 s, 85.0 mm equiv.
Try shooting in simple room lighting. It will look more natural. Additionally, you can turn on the Christmas tree garland: it will decorate your picture.
Since we shoot without a flash in indoor lighting conditions, it is worth considering using a tripod or camera support. To shoot handheld at a fast shutter speed (handheld at shutter speeds shorter than 1/60 s), you will have to greatly increase the ISO sensitivity, which will lead to a deterioration in photo quality, the appearance of digital noise. At the same time, you won’t be able to shoot handheld at a slow shutter speed because the frame will be blurred from camera shake in your hands. But if you use a tripod, this will not happen: the camera on a tripod does not shake. When shooting with a tripod, to get a picture without digital noise, you should use the minimum ISO value.
Handheld image taken at a slow shutter speed. The frame was blurred by camera shake in the hands.
tripod at minimum ISO and long exposure.
Image taken at high ISO. It has digital noise.
When composing a picture, you can and should use the rule of thirds: try not to place the main subject in the center of the frame, it is better to move it a little closer to one of the corners of the picture.
Publication date: 12/30/2014
Konstantin Voronov
Professional photographer with ten years of experience. She has been teaching for six years. Journalist by education, author of courses and educational articles on photography. Area of interest - landscape, subject, portrait photography.
DIY Christmas decorations
On the eve of the winter holidays, more and more people are coming to the Christmas decorations stores - everyone wants to decorate their Christmas trees with something new.
And someone asks the question: how to make a Christmas tree toy with your own hands? After all, jewelry must be original and unique!
Do-it-yourself Christmas toy made from scrap materials is a space for creativity. From the most affordable items you can make unique things. We will tell you how to make a Christmas tree decoration quickly. It can be, for example, Christmas trees and stars from twigs. Or you can arrange a burnt out light bulb. Give free rein to your imagination!
Trees and stars from twigs
You will need:
- twigs collected in the park
- glue.
Manufacturer:
- Draw a straight triangle on a piece of paper. It will serve as a template for us.
- Connect all sticks together with glue and attach one vertical branch to serve as a stem.
Make a star or any other toy in the same way. Decorate items to your liking.
Light bulb toy
You will need:
- burned out bulb
- PVA glue
- decorative elements (sequins, rhinestones, lace, etc.
).
Production:
- We cover the light bulb with PVA glue and sprinkle it abundantly with sparkles.
- You can make a snowman. Glue the hands-twigs to the shiny light bulb on transparent glue and paint the eyes, mouth and nose with paints. We wrap the base of the light bulb with twine and make a loop for hanging.
DIY Christmas decorations from paper
Very often they make Christmas decorations from paper. Paper is a flexible material that can be used to make almost anything. And this process is interesting for children. We will show you how to make voluminous paper Christmas decorations with your own hands.
Paper ballerina
We need paper and scissors. The choice of material is up to you. It can be plain white paper or cardboard, or you can use old postcards or gift bags.
Production:
- Print out the template and cut out the ballerina.
- Using the second template, cut out a snowflake pack. There should be a hole in the middle.
- Putting a tutu on a ballerina.
The green beauty can also be decorated with handmade cones.
You will need:
- Oval Styrofoam
- thick paper or cardboard
- glue
- scissors
- braid.
Production:
- First, let's make scales for the future cone. To do this, cut out squares with a side of 20 mm. We bend the edges with a triangle to end up with a pentagon.
- Next, cut out a circle with a diameter of 15–20 mm from the same paper. Glue it to the sharp end of the egg.
- In the next step, with small gaps between each other, glue 4 pentagons, almost closing the circle.
- Next, glue the rest of the scales in a checkerboard pattern. Gradually, the entire cone will close with scales.
- Glue the ribbon at the end.
Our bump is ready!
You can also make candles out of paper, they will look like real ones. These decorations will add elegance to the Christmas tree and give a cozy atmosphere to your home.
You will need:
- gold paper cupcake or candy wrappers
- yellow colored paper (or cardboard)
- glue
- gold sequins
- hot glue gun
- small clothespins.
Production:
- Cut out several rectangles from cardboard or paper. We twist them into a tube, connecting the edges with glue.
- Next, cut out two circles from paper to close the holes of the tube. We also cut out a small flame from paper. Cover it with glue and glitter. Glue the flame to the top edge of the candle.
- Use a hot glue gun to create wax drops at the top edge of the candle. Sprinkle them with glitter.
- Take 2 cupcake liners and turn one of them inside out.
We apply glue to one inner part of the mold and place the second inside. Thus, the candle stand will be golden on all sides. - Glue the candle inside the stand.
- The last step is to glue the clothespin to the finished product and hang the candle on the Christmas tree.
Christmas toys made of threads and balls
A Christmas tree toy made of threads will look airy and original. It is very easy to make such a ball.
You will need:
- thick colored thread
- PVA glue
- balloons
- needle
- bowl
- some water.
Production:
- Inflate the balloon.
- Pour glue and some water into a bowl.
- We tie one end of the thread to the tail of the ball and start wrapping the thread around the entire ball.
- Next, lower the ball into a bowl of glue. We dip it on all sides so that the glue is absorbed into the thread.
Before the ball dries, you can sprinkle it with sparkles. - To dry the ball, hang it by a stretched thread and leave it for a day.
- At the end, we burst the ball with a needle and carefully pull it through the thread holes.
These balls can be decorated with bows, rhinestones, lace.
Christmas tree toy "bull" made of thread
Anything can be used as Christmas tree decorations, even animal figurines. You may have, for example, a Christmas tree toy "bull" at home.
You will need:
- hot glue gun
- knitting threads
- pieces of felt (or leather)
- large beads
- scissors
- wire
- glue
- self-hardening compound
- plastic eyes for toys.
Production:
- We wind knitting threads on a piece of cardboard. The more layers there are, the more fluffy and voluminous the goby will turn out to be.
- Carefully remove the yarn and fasten it in the center with a thread. Cut the thread on the side and straighten the pompom. If necessary, trim the yarn with scissors.
- Cut out ears from felt or leather. Using glue, attach them to the sides of the toy.
- Cut off two small pieces of wire and cover them with a self-hardening mass, twisting slightly at the ends. Got bull horns. Dip the ends of the wire in glue and attach to the toy.
- We fasten the wire to the beads and fix them on the bull in the same way as the horns.
- Cut out the tongue and glue it to the pendant.
- Glue plastic eyes.
To make the goby look more festive, you can glue it to the cone after painting it with gold or silver paint.
Christmas toy made of knitting threads will also be a great gift for your loved ones! You can make a Christmas tree out of them, using ball technology, using a cardboard cone as a frame. Such a Christmas tree will serve as a good addition to the interior during the winter holidays.
