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Mar 25th, 2025
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Joined: Jan 2002
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Galv,
As you can see, we are all unanimous on the subject.
I leave my tree up until old calendar Christmas or Theophany, whichever comes last.
Then the wife takes it down while I supervise.
Joe
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Stephanos I
It's got to be cured skate though if you're having a proper St Thorlakur's Feast.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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Well we always wait till after Epiphany to take our tree down. Now when it gets put up has been anyones guees in recent years. This year it was actually finished on Christmas Eve, but started several days earlier.
Here in the south, it is sad. They put decorations up the day after Thanksgiving. Then on Christmas Day you will see trees taken down lying on the curb. By the day after they are down everywhere. I attribute it to this being the Bible Belt, they do not have the understanding of the Twelve Days of Christmas. They still think it is a song leading up to Christmas.
My husband is of Polish, German, and Irish heritage. His parents would wait until after the children had gone to sleep on Christmas Eve to put up the tree when they were young. So when they got up everything was there, however, I am not quiet certain of where that came from.
Pani Rose
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Galv, like Neil I also love Christmas trees. We make it to at least Julian Theophany, as we don't put it up until Christmas Eve or the day before, and decorate it early on Christmas (or much later Christmas Eve). We've tried going to Stritennya (Feb 2) but usually the needles are falling badly by then and it usually doesn't last much past the Three Holy Hierarchs.
If we cut our own cedars (which are much more "bushy" in appearance), they will last even longer than that, but I prefer going to the tree farm and getting a nice tall fir.
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why yes of course as every icelandic family knows
skate and salt fish with boiled potatoes
who would eat anything else ? :p
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Joined: May 2004
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Originally posted by Pani Rose:
Well we always wait till after Epiphany to take our tree down. Now when it gets put up has been anyones guees in recent years. This year it was actually finished on Christmas Eve, but started several days earlier.
Here in the south, it is sad. They put decorations up the day after Thanksgiving. Then on Christmas Day you will see trees taken down lying on the curb. By the day after they are down everywhere. I attribute it to this being the Bible Belt, they do not have the understanding of the Twelve Days of Christmas. They still think it is a song leading up to Christmas.
My husband is of Polish, German, and Irish heritage. His parents would wait until after the children had gone to sleep on Christmas Eve to put up the tree when they were young. So when they got up everything was there, however, I am not quiet certain of where that came from.
Pani Rose
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Joined: May 2004
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Originally posted by Pani Rose:
Well we always wait till after Epiphany to take our tree down. Now when it gets put up has been anyones guees in recent years. This year it was actually finished on Christmas Eve, but started several days earlier.
Here in the south, it is sad. They put decorations up the day after Thanksgiving. Then on Christmas Day you will see trees taken down lying on the curb. By the day after they are down everywhere. I attribute it to this being the Bible Belt, they do not have the understanding of the Twelve Days of Christmas. They still think it is a song leading up to Christmas.
My husband is of Polish, German, and Irish heritage. His parents would wait until after the children had gone to sleep on Christmas Eve to put up the tree when they were young. So when they got up everything was there, however, I am not quiet certain of where that came from.
Pani Rose oops! What I MEANT to write was, that is an old Irish tradition (waiting to put the tree up on Christmas Eve night!)
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Joined: Nov 2001
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Thank you Charitina. Yes, his mothers dad was Irish.
This has been really interesting thread to read how we all do the same thing so differently. Neat!
Pani Rose
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Stephanosson
I've had a deep fascination with Iceland for most of my life, and it's a place I dream of visiting some day.
Think their's any chance of Bishop Jon Arason ever being beatified ?
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Dear Pani Rose,
I do seem to recall that the tree was put up on Christmas Eve in the Christmas classic ballet, the 'Nutcracker', and I seem to also recall this being the practice in some other Christmas classic books I read to the children when they were little.
Fondly,
Alice
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Take it down on Jan 5 "Kings Day" Thus, it will be the end of the the 12 days of Christmas. This reminds me about the homily I heard from a Russian Orthodox priest who reminded us of the 12 days of Christmas. We celebrate a birth AFTER a baby is born NOT before He is born. Celebrate the WHOLE 12 days he reminded us.
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Lawrence,
Just maybe he will be beatified along with his two sons! If Rome could just get over that.
It is a wonderful country and the faith is flourishing there due to the hard work of a few apostolic laborers.
Skal!
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I don't know if I'm the last post on this thread but as I read the responses, I thought of my childhood in NYC where after my father died and we were small and very poor, my mother would wait until after midnight on Christmas Eve and then get a free tree from the seller who was about to close up and go home. Then she would decorate it while we slept, and when we woke up Christmas Morning, how happy we were to find such a beautiful sight in our living room!
Thanks for the memories!!! I feel like crying!!!
John
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Dear Deacon John,
It sounds like you had an absolutely awesome MOM!
Thanks for sharing such wonderful memories and how the mercy of God through the person on the tree lot was such a blessing to your family.
May God bless those abundantly, wherever they are in life, for the generosity shown to your mother at a time of such struggle, yet great joy.
Pani Rose
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Interesting discussion. We were planning to leave ours up till Theophany. But on Jan. 1, we noticed a spider's web around the angel on the top. Upon closer inspection, the spider's web was found to be that of multitudes of tiny baby spiders. I suppose we had a nest egg which warmed and hatched while the tree was in the house. We quickly cleaned off the ornaments and lights, and hauled it all outside. Next thing you know, our three year old was having a terrible anxiety attack, standing in the bathtub and refusing to get out. She was scared to death of all the spiders taking over the house. A cleansing baptism was just what we needed! Good to be back here for a visit.
Blessings of New Year Peace to all,
Tammy
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