Why My Christmas Decorations Stay Up Until January 6th

Heading into the new year, I'm always ready to get organized and to get life into a routine again. Aren't you? It just seems like it's the best time to feel re-vamped and ready to start a fresh year. But, it makes me so sad to see Christmas decorations be put away right after Christmas. There's still 11 more days of Christmas to be celebrated! :)

Growing up Catholic, it always made me wonder why people talked about the 12 Days of Christmas as though they started before Christmas. The 12 Days of Christmas actually starts on Christmas Day and lasts until Epiphany, the day that the Three Wise Men paid homage to Jesus Christ. Now, I realize that Jesus wasn't actually born on Christmas. It's a representation of his birth, but it's the reason we celebrate this wonderful season of joy. The acts that took place after the birth of Jesus Christ are just as important to me as a Christian, though. I put up the manger and absolutely love my nativity set, and it seems wrong to put it away until Epiphany. I have friends that actually put out the Three Wise Men and move them closer to the manger, so that they "arrive" on Epiphany, which I think is an awesome idea.

Catholics, as a majority, used to wait until Christmas Eve after noon to put up their Christmas tree. While I do wait until after Thanksgiving, I don't wait that long. Truthfully, it's because I love this season so much, and I can barely wait until after Thanksgiving. But, the Christmas season is different than the Advent Season, the four weeks before Christmas, so this is the reason that the Catholic religion observed an appropriate time of decorating later than the traditional time period that we now know. I long for the time when Advent begins to decorate the Christmas tree, and I am thankful for the almost six weeks of celebrations.

I have nothing against those that put their Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving or take them down the day after Christmas. In full honestly, I 100% understand both sides. But as I have been reading the countless updates and facebook statuses regarding taking down Christmas decorations, I felt it was important to discuss the reason I keep them up just a little longer than most. Either way, it was a wonderful Advent and Christmas season, and I'm sad to see it go. Yet, I'm excited for this new, fresh year and all that lies ahead! May you all have a blessed 2015!