With Christmas only just coming to an end, many of us won't have even considered taking down our fabulous trees and decorations - after coming somewhat accustomed to the ambience they bring with them.
But according to tradition, there's a certain time and day that you should actually box up your décor and stuff it back in the loft or garage - and failing to do so could be said to bring you bad luck...according to superstition.
And while there's somewhat of a debate with regards to the perfect date to pack up your tinsel and tree - here's when you should roughly get going to avoid the bad luck 'curse' for 2023.
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The Mirror reports that tradition states Christmas decorations should be taken down and put away on the January 5, which is commonly thought to be the twelfth night from Christmas day. However, others argue that the following day, January 6, also known as 'The Feast of Epiphany' is the right date to take down your decorations as it is the twelfth night following December 25.
Twelfth Night is a Christian festival marking the night the three wise men first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts. Also known as 'Epiphany', the day is often referred to as the final day of Christmas festivities and, therefore, the last day to have decorations on display.
Leaving your tree, tinsel and lights up any longer than this - or even taking them down before - is thought to bring bad luck for the New Year. The bad luck superstition goes back hundreds of years, when it was believed that Christmas trees were home to spirits.
These tree spirits were thought to be set free by people as they removed their festive tree from their homes in the first week of January. It was widely believed that if this ritual wasn’t followed correctly, it would negatively impact agriculture in the year ahead.
But of course, it’ll be up to households whether or not they wish to follow the tradition or not this year. If you’re on the superstitious side, or prefer to follow tradition then January 5 or 6 is your best bet - depending on whether or not you count Christmas as day one.
But there isn't just a specific time to pack away your decorations, as experts have also revealed the most ideal date to start digging them out from your lofts.
According to experts, December is the ideal date to start putting up your tree and decorations next year. This is because December 3 will be the beginning of the advent calendar, which is four Sundays before Christmas day.
When do you take your Christmas decorations down? Let us know in the comments section.
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