In my family it used to be tradition that the tree was put up on Christmas Eve. I remember there was always some struggling to saw off what was needed to make the tree stand straight, then we would get out the old ornaments.
I know that not everyone has a Christmas tree, though ...
Penny: Hey Sheldon, are you and Leonard putting up a Christmas tree?
Sheldon: No, because we don't celebrate the ancient Pagan festival of Saturnalia.
Penny (confused): Saturnalia?
Howard: Gather round, kids! It's time for Sheldon's beloved Christmas special.
Sheldon: In the pre-Christian era, as the winter solstice approached and the plants died, pagans brought evergreen boughs into their homes as an act of sympathetic magic intended to guard the life essences of the plants until spring. This custom was later appropriated by Northern Europeans and, eventually, it becomes the so-called Christmas tree.
Howard: And that, Charlie Brown, is what boredom is all about.
The Big Bang Theory, USA, 2007 -
Putting a tree up on Christmas Eve is a lot of work for a couple of days.
ReplyDeleteI love my multiple trees, but they are a lot of work.
In Germany that was a tradition for most people. Before that there was an advent wreath, and Christmas Eve was the day to put up the tree. In my family it's still done like that.
DeleteWe leave it up until the 6th of January.
I bet your trees are a lot of work!!
We usually put our tree up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but for the first time our daughter didn't come home for Turkey Day, so we put it up this past weekend, once she was home.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet that you waited so you could do it all together!
DeleteWe used to put up a christmas tree after st nicolaas, the 6th december and we too kept it till the 6th of januari.
ReplyDeleteEver since my daughter left the house and we celebrate christmas days elsewhere I don't have a tree anymore.
Because I missed it I do have some christmassy decorations the last 3 years. :)
I enjoy my little Christmas tree every day until the 6th. The only other decorations I have are in the hallway, my little Steiff Christmas tree with the two mice and some baubles :-)
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