It’s Still Christmas at Our House

Yes, you read that right. It’s still Christmas here. The tree is still up and so is the nativity scene. I LOVE this part of Christmas. I don’t feel that deep joy of Christmas until Christmas Eve when we’ve made it to church. Up until that moment, I’m a stress ball. The planning of gifts, food, hosting responsibilities, various holiday activities, and appropriate clothes for all the events takes up most of the space in my head. Once we’ve made it to church, that means the celebration starts. The work is done, and if it isn’t, we’re just going to make the best of it. This is the moment when I allow myself to be happy with whatever I got done or didn’t get done. It is when I fully focus on the reason for the season and enjoy my family. Leaving Christmas up until Epiphany, the day when the three kings arrived at the manger, is not new to me, since I grew up in a house where we left Christmas decorations up until Epiphany. The days from Christmas Day to January 6 are the 12 days of Christmas.

At our house, baby Jesus doesn’t make an appearance in the manger scene until Christmas Day. It would be a shame to take down the nativity the next day! So here’s how it goes: in early December the nativity comes out. Mary and Joseph are making their way to the manger, and the manger has only animals and a shepherd. Christmas Day we add Mary, Joseph and Jesus to the manger. Christmas Day is also when the three kings start their journey to see Baby Jesus. This year they are walking across the bottom shelf below the manger until they arrive on January 6. When I am really on the ball they get a little closer every day.

I love how our house looks when it is decorated for Christmas. I enjoy it so much more during these days when the pressure is gone, the kids are out of school, and my husband has time off work. There are lots of treats and leftovers around, making mealtime less stressful, too. It’s relaxing. I soak it up. So, these three gentlemen will keep making their way across the middle shelf until they make it to the top shelf on Sunday. Then Christmas will be officially over.

Do you take down Christmas on the 26th? On New Years Day? Do you feel behind if you don’t? I love the delayed take-down. I will admit that if we get the tree too early in the season it doesn’t always make it to January 6 because it gets too dried out and seems like a fire hazard. This year we waited long enough to put the tree up that it will last until Epiphany. Even if the tree doesn’t make it to the end of the Christmas season, the rest of the decorations do.

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