Home Depot has helped us throughout 2021 and will see us into 2022. Many people bought Christmas decorations from Home Depot and saved money using a Home Depot Money Off Coupon from We Are Coupons. All these decorations are up but at some point they must come down. But when is the time to officially take down Christmas decorations?
Traditionally, twelfth night is when everybody removes the Christmas decorations. The date of the twelfth night can be quite confusing. The twelfth night is recognized as the night before the 12th day. If that is so, then the 12th night would actually be the eleventh night as the actual twelfth night would have to be the night after the twelfth day. Yes, very confusing, indeed.
It's like this: Long time ago, people considered the day done when the sun sets. So, when the evening comes, it's actually the start of the next day. The evening you eat your dinner is actually the next day already. So, the 12th night is on the eleventh day. After the sun of the eleventh day sets, the next calendar day starts, the 12th night. Surely that should explain it.
So, the twelfth night after Christmas, fifth of January, Christmas decorations should be removed. Why? Because not doing so would bring bad luck. If you fail to bring them down on the twelfth night, then the decorations should stay throughout the year to avoid bad luck. So, either you bring them down on the night of January 5th, or they stay the whole year until the next 12th night. Much like the British flag, mistletoe would be hanging about for the whole year. That entails a lot of kissing.
Why does it bring bad luck? Again, long ago, people decorated their houses using leaves, flowers and other stuff from the forest. They believed that spirits live in the forest, and by taking part of the forest, you take the spirits with you, too. Now, the spirits that you bring home will bring you luck and guard your house. But, the thing is you have to let those spirits free again to return to the forest, or else you're going to mess up spring. The spirits can take shelter in your house during the winter, but they have to return to the forest for spring to commence.
Although Christmas decorations are no longer taken from the forest as they're usually made from plastic now, people still honor the tradition of the Twelfth Night.
