Garden Advice

When to Put up and Take down Your Christmas Tree?

Fantastic Team
Published: Oct 22/2019
Last update: Jun 20/2024
3min read
Views: 1,269

Deciding on when to put up your Christmas tree can be quite tricky. Set it up too early and you might be met with the judging gazes of your neighbours. Put it up too late and you might get branded as close-fisted. Therefore it’s important to avoid hasty decisions and give it some thought. Same goes with choosing when to take your Christmas tree down.

Luckily, this blog post will teach you of all the traditional dates and customs in the UK concerning the installation of Christmas trees. Alongside those, you will also find some helpful tips on choosing the best time to put your festive tree up, depending on your household.

Table of Contents:

When to put a Christmas tree up
When to take your Christmas tree down

So if you:

Are a wondering when to put your Christmas tree;
Are having second thoughts on whether to go with a fake or real tree;
Want to know which day after Christmas to take down your evergreen tree;

Then this post might be just the thing you’re looking for.

When to put a Christmas tree up

First of all, there’s no law prohibiting you from putting up your Christmas tree whenever you feel like it. Yet, it’s still good to know your traditional dates and when it’s considered appropriate to do so.

The first day of advent – Advent starts on the fourth (or in some cases even sixth) Sunday before Christmas. Advent is the time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and of his return. Interestingly enough, this time of year is also very popular for putting up your Christmas tree and decorations.
December 13th – Traditionalists believe that 12 days before Christmas is the ideal time to put your festive tree. Since the 13th of December takes place in the middle of the month, you won’t have to worry about your Christmas tree losing its pine needles before the holidays begin.
24th of December – It’s old Catholic tradition for the Christmas tree to go up on Christmas Eve, after the first liturgy of Christmastide. By going down this route, you preserve advent as a season for atonement.

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Traditions aside, there are many other dates on which it’s appropriate to floss your beautiful festive tree. And the best part of it – choosing the date is all up to you!

There are a few things to take into consideration here but don’t worry as there are no wrong choices when it comes to putting up a Christmas tree.

Follow your gut feeling – Listen to your gut. Is it telling you that it’s Christmas time and that the evergreen tree and decorations have to go up? If so, go for it! There’s nothing better than decorating when you’re in a festive mood. Just remember to choose a day no earlier than the end of November.
Think of how long it will take – Putting up a Christmas tree and then decorating it can be quite time-consuming. So, when deciding on a date for this task, try to choose a day on which the whole family has free time.
Fake or Real? – If you’re thinking of decorating early and want to go with a real Christmas tree, there are some things you should consider. Firstly, if you’re really eager to buy and put up a real Christmas tree early, before the first of December, make sure it’s a Nordmann Fir. As it is one of the Christmas trees that last the longest(up to 6 weeks) when cared for properly. Secondly, make sure to buy a tree with a water tank stand and to water is constantly as Christmas trees get thirsty quite quickly. If you have decided upon a fake tree, it doesn’t really matter when you will put it up and there are no maintenance requirements whatsoever.

You can read our full guide on buying a real Christmas tree here.

When to take your Christmas tree down

A common question amongst people who buy real evergreen trees for Christmas is: “How many days after Christmas should I take down my tree?”

And the usual answer to this question is – the 6th of January. Traditionally Christmas ends on the twelfth night after Christmas Eve which is on the 5th of January and most people take down their trees the following day.

However, in the end you should really take down your Christmas tree when it’s most convenient for you. As long as most of the tree’s pine needles are still on it, it will probably last you the whole first week of the new year.

So, enjoy the sight of your nicely decorated Christmas tree for as long as you want, Christmas comes by only once a year, after all.

Check out our hassle-free Christmas tree disposal service.

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Takeaways

When it’s time to decide when to put up your Christmas tree, we recommend that you check the traditional dates first.
If you plan on putting up your Christmas tree early this year, go for something resilient, like a Nordmann Fir (for example). If you are wondering how much will such a tree cost you, head over to our helpful post on the matter.
Christmas trees are usually taken down on the 12 night after Christmas (5th of January).
When the time to take down your Christmas tree comes, it will be helpful to know how to preserve and store your Christmas decorations.

Image source: Depositphotos / Africa Studio