When do you take down Christmas decorations?

Aunt Bea said:
I wait until after the 12th day of Christmas and usually take them down on the Epiphany January 6th.
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When I was a child in Italy, we didn't have a Santa Claus, we had the Befana. She came on January 6th and brought little gifts, usually in a stocking. I remember mine was usually an orange, some nuts, some candy. Wealthier kids got a doll or some toy. Befana was an old woman dressed in tattered clothes and shoes, but with a heart of gold. She came during the night, unseen by children.

"The Befana comes at night In worn-out shoes. For the small, little children she leaves a lot of little chocolates, For the bad little children, she leaves ashes and coal. "
 

Christmas seems to have morphed from a religious festival to a commercial spending spree. The period before Dec 25, known in the church calendar as Advent is now a frenzy of shopping and parties and the very word advent has become synonymous with chocolate. Christmas Day, which is the beginning, not the end, of the Christmas season is now a day for feasting with family and friends and exchanging presents. Immediately after, attention is returned to shopping for bargains.

In Australia most people are on their Summer holidays and TV is taken over by endless sport - the Sydney to Hobart ocean sailing race and cricket being the first offerings followed closely by the tennis. In the middle of all this activity I have been taking it easy, recovering from hosting the family on Dec 26. I have not been near a shopping centre and we are eating down the contents of the fridge and pantry, not to mention a lot of chocolate and fruit. News of the fires and smoke in the air reminds us that this Christmas season is bringing hard times to many. We are mindful of our own good fortune and our obligation to our neighbour. The post Christmas period will be a time to dig deep into our pockets to assist whole communities to rebuild and recover.

In the meantime, I am drawing comfort and strength from the few decorations in my living room. They are a visible reminder of hope and love that is the core message of Christmas.
 

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