Tinsel, ornaments and baubles hit the high streets weeks ago, and most cities have already had their Christmas lights switched on. With the arrival of December there are various etiquettes and rules on how things should be done ahead of Christmas, especially when it comes to the Christmas tree.
When should you put up your Christmas tree?
The Christmas tree has been used as a decoration for Christmas for thousands of years.
For centuries Christmas trees were not brought in or decorated until Christmas Eve.
However, today people follow different traditions and some even take the tree in as early as the start of Advent, which fell on December 2 this year.
The British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) have said “it’s fine to buy your tree from December 1 onwards.”
However, the association thinks the middle of the December is a good compromise as the tree will probably have shed most of its needles long before Christmas Day if it’s put up too early.
A recent survey found most people put their Christmas tree up during the first week of December.
The data, gathered from 7,248 respondents by NetVoucherCodes.co.uk, saw the second highest majority putting up the tree in the second week.
Is it unlucky to put the Christmas tree up early?
An old superstition surrounding Christmas decorations says it should not be brought in before December 24 to avoid “capricious” forces.
Centuries ago, Christmas trees especially would not be brought into the house before this time.
The trees used to be symbolic of enduring and renewing life, which is why people decorated their homes with them at Christmas time.
The fetching in of green branches was a magical rite to ensure the return of vegetation at winter’s end.
Our modern day Christmas tree traditions are based on this belief.
In addition, people used to believe the greenery could become home to evil spirits if brought inside too early.
However, today people follow different traditions and Christmas trees are put up from the end of November to Christmas Eve.