After a turbulent year thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, many homes across the country embraced the Christmas spirit a lot earlier than normal this year, transforming their homes for the festive season.
But now that the main event has passed, many of those early decorators might be sick looking at the festive decor and wondering when is a suitable time to remove them all and get the house back to normal.
Although you can take your decorations down whenever you like there is no law, according to tradition there is a 'correct' date to it.
If you are superstitious you might take the deadline more seriously, as it's believed that it can bring bad luck into the New Year if you don't.
The Twelfth Night (January 5) is widely considered to be the last day of the Christmas festivities (eve of the Epiphany).
According to superstition it is bad luck to leave your decorations up after the 5th. This belief stems back to the olden days when people used to decorate their homes with ivy and holly.
They used to think tree spirits lived in the greenery and made sure all their festive ornaments and trimmings were taken down in the first week of the New Year to set them free.
If the custom wasn't followed it was said to affect the vegetation and greenery for the next twelve months.
The day of the Epiphany is January 6 and in Christian religions it celebrates the time the Three Wise Men (also referred to as Magi) visited baby Jesus - it also remembers his baptism.
How to dispose of real Christmas tree?
If you opted for a real tree instead of an artificial one it is best to find the nearest recycling location. This way once you've removed all the decorations you have somewhere to take it.
Most people take a visit to their local tip with the Christmas tree as all household waste disposal and recycling centres have the facility for it be recycled.
It's also a good opportunity to get rid of all the wrapping paper, cardboard boxes and bubble wrap from the big day.
