Genealogy Forum UK

Have taken down all the Christmas stuff (except the outdoor lights which get to stay a bit longer - until it is not freezing cold at least). So now all I need is a bunch of flowers to cheer the place up.

Happy 12th Day (or 13th for Snoopysue and others in exile).

xxx

We're just finishing ours off now, MrsSRD is taking the decs off the tree then I get to do the manly stuff (the lights, take the tree out etc.).

Mine is waiting for Wolvie to sort it

gardener wrote:Have taken down all the Christmas stuff (except the outdoor lights which get to stay a bit longer - until it is not freezing cold at least). So now all I need is a bunch of flowers to cheer the place up.

Happy 12th Day (or 13th for Snoopysue and others in exile).

xxx

Mine have been down a whole week! (All neatly packed away in shinny red boxes, all ready for next Christmas)
It's still the 12th day for us, we might celebrate on Christmas Eve, but Christmas Day is still the First Day of Christmas!

gardener wrote:Have taken down all the Christmas stuff (except the outdoor lights which get to stay a bit longer - until it is not freezing cold at least). So now all I need is a bunch of flowers to cheer the place up.

Happy 12th Day (or 13th for Snoopysue and others in exile).

xxx

I thought Wednesday was the 12th day , so which day is the 1st day.

Annie

Christmas Day!

I didn't have any to take down coz I didn't put any up.

snoopysue wrote:Christmas Day!

Depends on your point of view. The 12th night after Christmas surely starts with Christmas day being 0, not 1, so January 6th is Twelfth Night. Some celebrated the 5th because of the mucking about with the calendar (Give us back our 11 days etc.) meant that they considered the 5th to actually be Christmas Day and some because they start counting from 1 rather than 0.
Also, the reason for taking down the decs. is to prevent Herod from knowing that the child was there and therefore to prevent children in the house being involved in the 'Slaughter of the Innocents' (incidentally celebrated in late December depending on which branch of the faith you follow, which makes no sense at all), as that happened after the three kings visited (Epiphany, January 6th), and the 'Flight into Egypt' occurred after then as the 3 kings didn't report back to Herod and Joseph received the warning in a dream (presumably at night), so it would seem logical that the decs should come down between the visit of the kings and the flight into Egypt.
Just to confuse matters, those who want their 11 days back have these arguments around the 15th/16th January, which is one of the pagan festivals as well.

snoopysue wrote:

gardener wrote:Have taken down all the Christmas stuff (except the outdoor lights which get to stay a bit longer - until it is not freezing cold at least). So now all I need is a bunch of flowers to cheer the place up.

Happy 12th Day (or 13th for Snoopysue and others in exile).

xxx

Mine have been down a whole week! (All neatly packed away in shinny red boxes, all ready for next Christmas)
It's still the 12th day for us, we might celebrate on Christmas Eve, but Christmas Day is still the First Day of Christmas!

Mine have been down a week too, cards that is, didn't have anything else up, after dusting I wasn't going to put them back up again, so in the bin they went, with a big sigh of relief, all over for another year.

Linell.

gardener wrote:Have taken down all the Christmas stuff (except the outdoor lights which get to stay a bit longer - until it is not freezing cold at least). So now all I need is a bunch of flowers to cheer the place up.

Happy 12th Day (or 13th for Snoopysue and others in exile).

xxx

I'm waiting in anticipation for the first Snowdrop and Crocus, and then the first Daffodil and a bit of sun on my back Kate, our weather has been so grey and gloomy lately, really miserable, and there's snow forecast for tomorrow, in the Midlands that is. Oh happy days.

Linell.

linell wrote:I'm waiting in anticipation for the first Snowdrop and Crocus, and then the first Daffodil and a bit of sun on my back Kate, our weather has been so grey and gloomy lately, really miserable, and there's snow forecast for tomorrow, in the Midlands that is. Oh happy days.

Linell.

I'm hoping my hellebores will flower this year too!!!
Sue

Me too Sue, Spring can't come fast enough, we have had the coldest December on record

Linell.

linell wrote:Me too Sue, Spring can't come fast enough, we have had the coldest December on record

Linell.

I think it's been about the same as last year, although the snow came about 4 weeks earlier this year, hope it melts earlier too! We've had it down to -15 on quite a few nights here! Strange thing is today it was +2, and my ears felt the cold more than when it was -10...I don't get that
Good thing is it'll get rid of some of those midgies!

My tree is waiting for the first family member whose "give a stuff" hormones overcome the "can't be bothered" syndrome

SRD wrote:

snoopysue wrote:Christmas Day!

Depends on your point of view. The 12th night after Christmas surely starts with Christmas day being 0, not 1, so January 6th is Twelfth Night. Some celebrated the 5th because of the mucking about with the calendar (Give us back our 11 days etc.) meant that they considered the 5th to actually be Christmas Day and some because they start counting from 1 rather than 0.

Here in Iceland today is called Þrettándinn which means the Thirteenth. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is often translated as The Thirteenth Evening, bit confusing. But as you say, calender changes cloud the issue.

Anyhow, usually on the 6th of January there are big bonfires, fancydress, special songs, and permission to shoot off fireworks. Tonight it is howling a gale and supposedly -30°C if you count the wind chill so it is all postponed til the weekend.

The 13 Father Christmases that arrived one at a time in the run up to Christmas, departed likewise one at a time and the last one goes today, back to his mountain cave where he lives with his mum and dad and cat. Bet it is cold up there!