I would imagine that quite a few Mississippians have already dismantled the Christmas tree and put away all the lights and ornaments until the holiday season of 2025.
Good for you! I sarcastically commend all you little eager beavers. I bet you were also the ones with your hands raised high, ready to tattle to the teacher about us not-so-compliant girls and boys.
No, procrastination is not a good habit to have or nurture. But hold on!
For the truth is – this time at least – it is not just laziness or dread of the task that keeps some of us from dismantling the beautiful Christmas tree so fast. Actually, we have several very legitimate reasons for our post-holiday hesitation.
First of all, we like our Christmas trees, and what’s your big hurry with taking down the cozy, festive, (even opulent in some cases) large nightlight? We love simply lounging on the couch with all the other lights in the house off and drinking a cup of hot chocolate in the calm and peaceful glow of our tree – be it fake or real. Forgive us, you dear Debbie Downers, we are not in such a rush to end this beautiful tranquility. Why are you?
Secondly, it really is a family tradition for some of us Southerners to wait a while before boxing up the beautiful tree and all its accoutrements. Seriously, it is!
In fact, I come from a long line of Mississippi teachers, and our family tree-trimming tradition started the night that school let out for the holidays and not a moment sooner. I distinctly remember looking so forward to that night, which invariably ended with my sweet Daddy having to work for hours to get the freshly cut tree straight and steady enough for us kiddos to decorate.
It was not a happy few moments of waiting and anticipation back then! But I love looking back at the pictures of those whop-sided trees, some of which were even tied precariously to other large pieces of furniture in our home. And the best part is that as children, we had no idea that ours was a frugal, make-do celebration most years. We just loved putting up that tree!
But we did not enjoy taking it down quite as much. Not because it was hard work or because we were sad that Christmas was over. We grew melancholy every single year when our tree came down the day before we had to return to school. For us, it was the end of the most special family time of the year.
And the tree removal meant we were heading back to sharing our days and nights – and our parents – with all the other kids at school. Such is the life of the children (including my own kids and my grandkids) whose parents truly love teaching and devoting their lives to their students and athletes.
So, yep, our Christmas tree came down in early January back in those days, and somehow, I cannot bring myself to pack it up too early even now, more than 50 years later. It is a tradition buried deep in my teacher’s kid heart.
But guess what, my fellow procrastinators! Removing the Christmas tree LATE is actually an age-old tradition around the world. Though the original reason behind this tradition is up for debate.
One belief centers around the Magi, the wisemen who travelled from afar, following a star to worship the Christchild. Legend has it that these stargazers finally found Jesus 12 days after His birth. (The Bible does not back this up, but it does not clearly dispute it either. Yet, most biblical scholars believe the Magi visited much later on – with Jesus possibly even a toddler.)
Of course, we will not know the actual timeline of their travels and adventures until we make it Home with our Savior, but this legendary tale does offer fodder for the other modern-day excuse for not taking down our Christmas trees too early.
And that reason goes back to the traditional observance of the 12 Days of Christmas, hence the source of the song of that title as well as the long-observed tradition of taking down the Christmas tree on January 6.
Why the 6th of January, you ask? Well, count it up, you OCD, fa-la-la-la-less peeps!
But start with December 25 as the first day of the holiday season instead of the last day. This shift in counting days means those iconic 12 drummers will come out drumming on January 5th, the final (12th) day of the official Christmas holiday.
As such, for hundreds of years, ye olde trees came down on January 6th and not a day before.
Well, look at that! January 6th!
The procrastinators are right – again.
So, my dear teacher’s pets, go ahead and take those waving hands out of the air because your answer was incorrect, as was your eager race to take down those lovely Christmas trees.
Consequently, it might even be safe to say that procrastinators win the entire Christmas season by simply waiting until the time-honored and CORRECT day of January 6th to take down the beloved Tannenbaum.
As a final, cautionary note to my fellow tree-removal postponers: Stay humble and do not gloat! And make sure you get that tree out of the house by January 6th, because all excuses are null and void after that date.
