Get 'Em Down!

Daft Bat

Daft Bat

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Finnish children once grew up hearing scary stories about a goat that every year at Christmas time went around asking people for presents. In its earliest stories, the Yule Goat only asked for presents; he didn't give them out but in time, the goat morphed into a Santa Claus-like benevolent figure who distributed gifts and good cheer every December

You can still see village squares each December where there is a straw figure of the goat and every evening until Christmas Eve, a ceremony takes place where the goat is set on fire, representing Old Nick leaving for his home in Lapland. After Old Nick leaves, Santa Claus arrives and Finnish children believe that if they are good, Santa Claus will leave them a present at the goat.

But if you were living in Finland today, you would have a busy time on your hands. Marking the end of the Christmas season, today is known as Loppiainen and traditionally means that all decorations should be brought down and packed away.

I was always brought up to believe that it was unlucky to have Christmas decorations up beyond today and so yesterday ours were packed away for another year. :)
 
Daft Bat said:
I was always brought up to believe that it was unlucky to have Christmas decorations up beyond today and so yesterday ours were packed away for another year. :)
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Me too! 6 January is the day when all the decorations MUST come down.
I've believed this all my life.
Superstition?
Maybe it's a clever ploy to "clear the decks" for the year ahead - but I have to admit that the only year I didn't do it on the date (we were abroad on holiday) is the year my father died. Since then, if I'm not going to be here for the 6th, I just don't put up decorations.

Isn't it Twelfth Night? The day the 3 Kings arrived with gifts?
I was once told that in France it is the "Fete des Rois" - the day for presents, and for sharing a marzipan galette with a hidden bean inside that makes the lucky person king (or queen) for the day.

Jane
 
I had my first born in the early hours of the 6th (he is now in his 40's) and the last thing I said to my husband before he left the hospital that morning, was to make sure he took all the decorations down before he went to get some sleep!
They used to be left up until after his birthday party, but now come down over a couple of days, with the last to be removed today.
 
Well, they're all down apart from the lights all along the back fence at the bottom of the garden - and the back garden is flooded because of the snow, so they can stay up until Candlemas.

My friend always leaves her tree and decorations up until Candlemas, so...
 
That doesn't work now that I've edited it to the shortened form, but now I know I can spell it correctly! ;)

Going back to taking decorations down, there is always something that we forget. The odd shrivelled sprig of holly behind a picture - a snow globe, or a Christmas card or two.
 
Oh lordy - red and green here, a good couple of days to put them all up (still use chains and ceiling decs). A real 6' tree and lots of lights. Hence days to take the lot down and box them up again - my excuse is the grandchildren........
 
MollyMay said:
Oh lordy - red and green here, a good couple of days to put them all up (still use chains and ceiling decs). A real 6' tree and lots of lights. Hence days to take the lot down and box them up again - my excuse is the grandchildren........
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I know. Same here. Red, green and gold. A real 6' tree and 6 artificial in varying sizes, one in each room, and an acrylic polar bear in the garden. Fourteen boxes of decorations and lights to heave up the ladder on Twelfth Night. Takes forever.

This year I said I wasn't going to bother. Next year I'm definitely not going to bother... ;)
 
Bay Horse said:
This year I said I wasn't going to bother. Next year I'm definitely not going to bother... ;)
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Of course you will, it is what Christmas is all about, You sound as daft as I am:D, although I think I beat you on the number of boxes:oops: - I still put up decorations that belonged to my parents and a nativity card sent to me by my late brother when he was doing his National Service (almost 70 years ago now), plus bits and bobs the children made years ago. If you have little ones to share the magic with, then it is all worth it - they grow up all too quickly. Did I mention the 100+ soft toy reindeer/moose that also come out?.............
 
Ah, you've hit the nail on the head, Sue. I have my grandparents' glass baubles, a lot of my parents' bits and pieces, and the little hand-crafted things made at various times at school, from all of us. Fred's silk Christmas card is up there too, from the Front (he didn't come home). A lot of memories in those boxes! The real tree always sits in the corner of the dining room, with our parents' and grandparents' photos hung on frames behind it. Every year I buy one new tree decoration to mark the year - I've done this since we married in '83. Oh, and don't start on the reindeer and moose thing... :D I don't have that many, but years back I bought a large soft reindeer from a supermarket clearance shelf in January - he was damaged... the stuffing was hanging out of one seam and he had pitched forward on the shelf looking sad, because he was altogether a bit wonky. "No one wanted him!" I said, and I bought the thing for fifty pence and repaired him. Sainsbury the Reindeer lives on an old rocking horse in the grand-daughter's sleepover room now. (And you think you're daft... :D)

I remember Christmas as a child, where we didn't have much money, it always snowed and everything was magical. I appreciate now what an effort it must have been for my poor mother, tied to that little stove and producing the most amazing dinner. She didn't have a double-oven or microwave. I remember the bubble of saucepans running to time, the pud steaming for hours on end, the candle lit on the table with Grandma's silver serviette rings beautifully polished. Not once did she moan about it but I know, now.

You're right. Of course I will. ;)
 
The house seems rather bare now all the decorations are down :( Do imagine the neighbours across from us are glad all the outside lights are down..... Hubby has to be controlled otherwise we'd be like National Lampoon's on the outside :D

Did read somewhere, that some other countries leave theirs up until late January!
 
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