The end of Christmas depends on which tradition you follow

Once Christmas Day and Twixmas (the period of time between Christmas and New Year) have passed, many of us turn our attention to tidying the house and packing away the festive decor – from the tree itself to wreaths, lights and garlands. But when should you actually take your Christmas tree down? There’s often confusion (and plenty of debate) about the correct timing, yet you shouldn’t be tempted to dismantle everything too soon. Tradition says your decorations should stay up a little longer than you might expect.

Twelfth Night
Christian tradition dating back to the fourth century marks Twelfth Night – the end of Christmas and the eve of the Epiphany – as the moment to take down your Christmas tree and pack away festive decorations. That means you can enjoy the twinkling lights a little longer, as Twelfth Night falls on either Monday 5 or Tuesday 6 January 2026, depending on which tradition you follow. However, there is a warning attached: leaving decorations up beyond this point is said to bring bad luck. After Advent – the four-week period leading up to Christmas that marks preparation for the birth of Jesus – Christmas itself traditionally begins on Christmas Day and lasts for 12 days, finishing on the evening of January 5, known as Twelfth Night. Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, marks the visit of the Magi – the Three Kings or Wise Men – to baby Jesus in Bethlehem, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Church of England observes Twelfth Night on January 5, with the season of Epiphany running from January 6 to February 2. However, some traditions count the 12 days after Christmas Day, making January 6 the Twelfth Night instead – which is where much of the confusion comes from.
“Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany and is the night, tradition says, when Christmas decorations should be taken down,” said a Church of England spokesperson. “Epiphany, on the other hand, is the day when the Church, theologically, marks the arrival of the wise men to give their gifts to the baby Jesus: the day when some will add the wise men to their nativity scenes.”

New Year’s Eve
Another, perhaps lesser-known, tradition suggests taking your Christmas tree down on New Year’s Eve (December 31) – and crucially, before midnight. For the superstitious, keeping decorations up beyond this point is thought to invite bad luck in the year ahead, making it a firm cut-off for those keen to start January with a clean slate.

Candlemas
Candlemas is a long-standing tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and, in mediaeval England, marked the official end of the Christmas season. Observed on February 2 each year – exactly 40 days after Christmas – Candlemas commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary. The name comes from the blessing of the Church’s candles for the year, a ritual that symbolised light returning to the world. Traditionally, Christmas decorations were kept up until the evening before Candlemas, making it the very latest date to finally pack everything away.