Every year, friends and neighbors debate how early is too early to get into the Christmas spirit. Some people like to start listening to Christmas music, decorating their home, and making cookies in late October or early November. Others wait until well into December. The two generally coexist peacefully as long as the former doesn’t play their Christmas music too loudly. Personally, I like to wait until after Thanksgiving to start thinking about Christmas, just to give the fall holidays their due consideration. As soon as Thanksgiving’s over, I’m ready to deck the halls.
After December 25, another debate begins. How long should Christmas decorations stay up? By December 26, some people are ready to be done with it all and are in danger of turning into Scrooge if they have to hear “Jingle Bells” on the radio one more time. Others just aren’t ready to see the holiday end yet. I’m generally in the second category. I love all the sights and sounds of the Christmas season, and the longer it lasts, the more of the cold dark winter is brightened by vibrant red bows and string lights. Even I have my limits, however. One year, my family (out of laziness or Christmas spirit, who knows) left our artificial Christmas tree up until well into February. To keep it relevant, we redecorated it with new ornaments for Valentine’s Day and even Groundhog Day. By that time, it had rather lost its charm and become part of the furniture. Still, even though I wouldn’t leave the tree up that long again, I’m generally not ready to part with it until after the end of December at least.
But I wondered, when does Christmas ‘officially’ end? Let’s explore some options:
When the tree becomes a fire hazard
Let’s get practical considerations out of the way. Safety must come first, especially if you have a real evergreen Christmas tree in your house. Evergreens tend to burn very well, so a dried-out tree can present a fire risk. This doesn’t necessarily mean Christmas is over, but if the tree’s needles are falling or turning brown and crunchy, it’s time to say goodbye. No matter how long you keep celebrating Christmas, make sure your tree stays beautiful and not dangerous. That concludes my public service announcement for today. 🙂
December 26
For many people, the Christmas holiday season is over on December 26, the date following Christmas Day. This is typically when the holiday marketing season ends, a season which begins really early in the year these days in a phenomenon known as “Christmas creep.” After being bombarded with holiday ads and store displays since Halloween, many are understandably eager to move on. But, while some see December 25 as the end of the Christmas season, it’s only the beginning of Christmastime in many traditions.
January 1 or 2
Arguably, the holiday season for most people actually lasts through December 31, when we celebrate New Year’s Eve. This is the time when some people choose to take down Christmas decorations. Some even believe it’s bad luck to leave decorations up after December 31. Another argument for January 1 as the end of Christmas is the tradition of the Christmas “octave,” eight days of celebration starting on the 25th. A complete week after Christmas Day, January 1 is the customary end of the Christmas “feast” in some traditions.
January 6
In other traditions, the Christmas season lasts until January 5 or 6. This is the end of the oft-sung Twelve Days of Christmas, which has a history going back to the 4th century. The twelve-day celebration ends in Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve, falling on either the 5th or 6th depending on whether you start counting on Christmas Day or the day after. Epiphany, or Three King’s Day, celebrates the Magi’s visit to little Jesus and is often chosen as the day to take down Christmas decorations for the year.
February 2
In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, Christmastide (the Christmas season) lasts even longer. February 2 is the feast of Candlemas, which remembers Jesus’ presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. Some, therefore, leave their decorations up until this date, as it marks the end of the Christmas/Epiphany season.
Never!
As we’ve seen, there are lots of options and traditions for when Christmastime ends, so feel free to pick the one that appeals most to you. Keep them up all year long if you want to! (However, maybe make sure you’re wearing headphones if you play “Jingle Bells” in July.) We often speak of “keeping the Christmas spirit going all year,” but as Christians, we really can. Christmas is a celebration of the most momentous event in human history, after perhaps the resurrection—“good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10, NIV). God Himself took on human form to save us wayward sinners from eternal punishment. He came to restore humankind’s relationship to God by taking that punishment upon Himself. What a wonderful sacrifice! For all the joy and beauty and fun of the Christmas season, this miracle is really at the heart of it all. This isn’t something that can only be celebrated once every December but is a reality that can help sustain us throughout the year. Whether you take down your Christmas decorations the day after Christmas Day or wait until February 2, remember that what we celebrate on Christmas is true all year long.
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