Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. I’ve got a serious questions for some you. What are your Christmas decorations still doing up? Isn’t it bad enough that they start showing up in stores two months before the holiday? And do you realize it’s now been almost two months since the holiday?
I don’t want to sound like a scrooge, but I’m sick of looking at Christmas decorations—especially the ornaments hung from fishing line on people’s porches, now tangled up and coated in a nice layer of grime from two months of storms.
I suppose there are no firm rules that dictate when it’s time to take down the tree and put the decorations away, but there is at least somewhat of a tradition. A lot of Christians have marked the end of the Christmas season on the Twelfth Night—that is 12 nights after Christmas—on an evening also known as the Eve of the Epiphany. The Epiphany marks the three kings (or wise men) visiting baby Jesus. It’s celebrated either on Jan. 5 or Jan. 6. There are some people who believe leaving your Christmas decorations up longer can actually bring bad luck.
I’m not actually a religious person, but the whole 12 days things seems totally reasonable to me. Furthermore, I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks it’s wicked tacky to pair spring blooms in your yard with a plastic Santa Claus and reindeer. And, besides, while you’re packing away the decorations and taking down the lights, you can clean the gutters and the garage. It’ll be great.