Grinch Corner

My nephew's missus insists on the tree and decorations going up immediately after Halloween, although the outside ones don't go up until the start of December. Everything is then taken down again on Boxing Day. Strange woman.

 

I've noticed something similar here, some houses get covered with lights at the beginning of December, mostly those houses had turned the lights off by boxing day.
People used to start later but they went on into January.

 

The neighbours started in November here.

Taking all ours down today. Tree and everything. It will look so bare.

 

I love the fresh feel of a decs-free house. Removing the rest of ours today too.

 

I didn't put any up.

 

I managed to put off doing the tree till Xmas Eve, tho it was sat in the living room for a few days before. It will come down on 12th night along with all the other lights and decs. I do like all the fairy lights in the darkest, shortest days, especially this year which has been a particularly grey period with no sun.

Then, like @Bluejayway I shall enjoys the clutter free feel for a few days before I start heaving everything out of the sewing room to re-paint it and prepping the hall and landing for a new look. The hall we inherited when we bought the house is great for Xmas but I can't cope with it year round anymore - red walls!

 

Excuse my ignorance but could someone explain '12th night' to me? when is it? and what does it mean please? tia

 

Jan 5th. It is a Christian festival that marks the last of the ‘12 days of Christmas’ and the coming of epiphany the next day (the story of the Wise Men). The tradition is that it is bad luck to have decorations after the 12 days. I’m not sure why but that’s the tradition anyway.

 

If you do have any left up they should be left there until the following Christmas, to cancel out the bad luck.

 

Please don't tell my neighbours!

 

@Meomye the 12 days of Xmas are a Catholic tradition and end on the 5th of January. The 6th of January is Epiphany when the magi are celebrated as arriving to give their gifts to the infant Jesus. Catholics celebrate that with galettes des rois which is a puff pastry and frangipane pie.

The whole "12 days" tradition was lifted from the pagans (mostly Nordic and Germanic Celts) who celebrated Yule starting from the winter solstice.

 

Interesting. I knew that the x-mas stuff has to be removed until the 5th but didn’t know about the bad luck.

 

I don't believe in the bad luck thing but it's as good a time as any to take down the decorations before I start back at work next week (I always take a good long break over Christmas and New Year).

 

Garlic has long been considered to guard against evil spirits - whether deterring the spirits by eating raw garlic and then breathing over them or just hanging a clove or 2 over any entrance.
I also have an enamel "anti evil" ring which is hung over any door or window which you think an evil spirit may access.
Unfortunately, I can't say either worked against my mad abusive neighbours - a waste of decent garlic really