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When does Christmas begin and end?

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    #32
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,738 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    mansize wrote: »
    Its done.

    It's not.


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    #33
    Clonmel1000
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,047 ✭✭✭Clonmel1000


    I'm not particularly a fan of Christmas but even I recognize that Christmas lasts until Jan 06.


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    #34
    JeffKenna
    Registered Users Posts: 4,512 ✭✭✭JeffKenna


    Christmas is now over

    Ho ho ho


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    #35
    mansize
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,521 ✭✭✭✭mansize


    i took down my decs last night.


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    #36
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,519 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    I turned on the Christmas tree lights yesterday about 2pm, while I watching Netflix and reading on my iPad. Realised a few hours later that it was 6pm and pitch black outside, but I was nice & cosy with all my twinkly lights. I absolutely adore these evenings between Christmas Day and Nollaig Na mBan.


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    #37
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,738 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    JeffKenna wrote: »
    Christmas is now over

    Ho ho ho

    Nope it's still not.


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    #38
    JeffKenna
    Registered Users Posts: 4,512 ✭✭✭JeffKenna


    Loughc wrote: »
    Nope it's still not.

    Starting wishing people a 'happy Christmas' and I think their reaction to you might show otherwise.


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    #39
    Alicat
    Registered Users Posts: 10,264 ✭✭✭✭Alicat


    JeffKenna wrote: »
    Starting wishing people a 'happy Christmas' and I think their reaction to you might show otherwise.

    We're still getting Christmas presents from customers in work so I figure it's still Christmas for a lot of people.


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    #40
    JeffKenna
    Registered Users Posts: 4,512 ✭✭✭JeffKenna


    Alicat wrote: »
    We're still getting Christmas presents from customers in work so I figure it's still Christmas for a lot of people.

    When was the last time you wished someone a happy Christmas?


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    #41
    MadDog76
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,162 ✭✭✭MadDog76


    mansize wrote: »
    i took down my decs last night.

    I left up my decs last night.


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    #42
    MadDog76
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,162 ✭✭✭MadDog76


    JeffKenna wrote: »
    When was the last time you wished someone a happy Christmas?

    The lad behind the counter in Spar wished me a "Happy Christmas" about a half hour ago .......... I wished him the same right back! :)


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    #43
    Alicat
    Registered Users Posts: 10,264 ✭✭✭✭Alicat


    JeffKenna wrote: »
    When was the last time you wished someone a happy Christmas?

    In work to the people who gave us the presents! Which was yesterday!


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    #44
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    it ends tomorrow :(

    regular life, regular TV :(


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    #45
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,738 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    fryup wrote: »
    it ends tomorrow :(

    regular life, regular TV :(

    Same for myself but the tree is staying up until Friday. I need some cheer in here and I'll need some serious cheering up after having to be back in work.


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    #46
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,875 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    I always thought it was "bad luck" to take the tree down before 6th January!

    Old wives tale from my late granny I suppose.

    It only matters if you are supersticious though!

    Happy New Year.


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    #47
    iguana
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 12,909 Mod ✭✭✭✭iguana


    My Christmas starts on the last Friday of November and ends with either Twelfthnight or Women's Christmas on the 6th. So generally Christmas takes up about 1/9th of my year.:D

    I also do 3 weeks of Easter, nearly 2 weeks of Halloween and the best part of a week for my son's birthday. We seem to be in party mode as often as not in my house.
    Atari Jaguar wrote: »
    It's January 6th. 12 days of Christmas don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

    January the 5th is the 12th day of Christmas.


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    #48
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,738 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    iguana wrote: »
    January the 5th is the 12th day of Christmas.

    I always thought the 12 days of Christmas were December 26th to January 6th?


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    #49
    Posy
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 27,529 Mod ✭✭✭✭Posy


    I think they can be interpreted either way.

    It makes sense that the first day of Christmas is Christmas day, but then how is the 5th the last day when Little Christmas is the 6th?!
    It hurts my January brain. :pac:


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    #50
    iguana
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 12,909 Mod ✭✭✭✭iguana


    Loughc wrote: »
    I always thought the 12 days of Christmas were December 26th to January 6th?

    So did I but then I counted the days ;). I was in my mid-30s when I did it, after hearing the 5th referred to as Twelftnight and it blew my mind a bit. There is an argument that the 12 days of Christmas start on the 26th of December so the 6th is the 12th day. But that's kind of daft because that means that Christmas day itself is not actually a day of Christmas! The 6th is the feast of Epiphany, Little Christmas is a colloquial name because in a lot of countries it is also a big celebratory day, with big events on the 5th (Twelfthnight/Epiphany Eve) and 6th of January. It's a huge shame that we don't celebrate the last days of Christmas in some of the old ways as there are a lot of lovely traditions that we have lost, with special foods, drinks, songs and games to be played on the 5th/6th. It's such a fun little holiday that we don't do any more and would really make a great end to the Christmas season. (In some cultures they even kick off the beginning of Mardi Gras season which last from Jan 6th until pancake Tuesday.)

    I'd hoped to revive some of the old traditions last year but was a bit sick by the last few days of Christmas. This year I'll definitely do something special with S for Twelftnight, though it will be in the morning. Next year it falls on the Friday so I hope to have a small party.


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    #51
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    For me Christmas starts the first day of the Dec/Jan sales! That is when I buy the stocking fillers for the following Christmas. In December, the Sunday 10 to 14 days before 25th is the Official start when tree goes up and it comes down Jan 2nd.


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    #52
    philstar
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,986 ✭✭✭philstar


    Spanish Eyes wrote: »
    I always thought it was "bad luck" to take the tree down before 6th January!

    after the 6th.................i think :confused:


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    #53
    Posy
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 27,529 Mod ✭✭✭✭Posy


    iguana wrote: »
    I'd hoped to revive some of the old traditions last year but was a bit sick by the last few days of Christmas. This year I'll definitely do something special with S for Twelftnight, though it will be in the morning. Next year it falls on the Friday so I hope to have a small party.
    I usually have a 'Little Christmas' dinner with the family on the 6th and then that night the tree is ceremonially turned off. It's a happy day that soon turns to devastation as I lose the tree!!


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    #54
    Toto Wolfcastle
    Registered Users Posts: 25,005 ✭✭✭✭Toto Wolfcastle


    We've had out annual 'Women's Little Christmas is a stupid name', 'No it isn't' conversation so I guess that means Christmas is coming to an end soon. :D

    I've never done anything special on the 6th but it's a lovely idea to have one last celebration before the tree goes. I'm sold!


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    #55
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,738 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    Yea I love the idea of marking the day. We make a big deal with putting up the decorations why not do the same taking them down.


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    #56
    Dickie10
    Registered Users Posts: 3,865 ✭✭✭Dickie10


    Little christmas will take off again big time if it gets enough net time on facebook/twitter. the media could row in behind it and then businesses and retail could flog something for it. maybe a special dinner party sort of a mothers day effort. roast lamb instead of turkey


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    #57
    BuilderPlumber
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,378 ✭✭✭BuilderPlumber


    I feel Christmas starts coming in around the 8th but the real start is probably around Christmas Eve or the few days before that and it ends on the 6th January (or the 8th this year as it is a weekend). There is an argument that the religious Christmas period does not end until Candle Mass which is start of February! If one was to follow the Russian, etc. Orthodox, Christmas Day is 7th January, St Stephen's Day is 9th January (2 days after in their tradition) and the Epiphany is around the 20th January..

    I believe in an extension rather than reduction of the period and absolutely dispise all this media attitude where Christmas ends on the 27th December or 1st January. All this media forced diet and fitness drivel and they trying to decide what we should be into after Christmas. All this not playing Christmas songs and having things like The Late Late Show back before the end of the period to the 6th basically goes AGAINST all my beliefs for the period. We do need to keep our traditions and it should be a time when we get away from 'normality' for a while. And 'normality' is not all this dieting and fitness drivel being forced down our throats at this time either!! Christmas is getting away from normality in a positive way, the other thing is getting away from normality in a depressingly negative way.


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    #58
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    Loughc wrote: »
    Yea I love the idea of marking the day. We make a big deal with putting up the decorations why not do the same taking them down.

    and play xmas music in the background whilst drinking mulled wine

    ...eases the pain a bit


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    #59
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,738 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    fryup wrote: »
    and play xmas music in the background whilst drinking mulled wine

    ...eases the pain a bit

    Christmas music for sure. Mulled wine is a no no tho haha.


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    #60
    Crazyteacher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,438 ✭✭✭Crazyteacher


    I'm thinking pizza and music for taking down the tree. Last year we had a relative in hospital for Christmas who didn't get home until after the 6th so we had Christmas dinner on the 7th and it was so relaxing.


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    #61
    BuilderPlumber
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,378 ✭✭✭BuilderPlumber


    iguana wrote: »
    So did I but then I counted the days ;). I was in my mid-30s when I did it, after hearing the 5th referred to as Twelftnight and it blew my mind a bit. There is an argument that the 12 days of Christmas start on the 26th of December so the 6th is the 12th day. But that's kind of daft because that means that Christmas day itself is not actually a day of Christmas! The 6th is the feast of Epiphany, Little Christmas is a colloquial name because in a lot of countries it is also a big celebratory day, with big events on the 5th (Twelfthnight/Epiphany Eve) and 6th of January. It's a huge shame that we don't celebrate the last days of Christmas in some of the old ways as there are a lot of lovely traditions that we have lost, with special foods, drinks, songs and games to be played on the 5th/6th. It's such a fun little holiday that we don't do any more and would really make a great end to the Christmas season. (In some cultures they even kick off the beginning of Mardi Gras season which last from Jan 6th until pancake Tuesday.)

    I'd hoped to revive some of the old traditions last year but was a bit sick by the last few days of Christmas. This year I'll definitely do something special with S for Twelftnight, though it will be in the morning. Next year it falls on the Friday so I hope to have a small party.

    Exactly. Sadly our traditions are being lost due to blatant commercialism coupled with cynical secularism. The commercialisation of Christmas has a knock on affect for the period after it as well. The gyms, dietitians, health industry have hijacked January and they want to steal February from St Valentine and March from St Patrick too if they could!

    It is amazing how many people follow blindly what the media (who are bankrolled by certain chosen commercial interests to the detriment of most genuine commercial interests by the way) want us to. People feel often that it is almost a 'sin' to take wine, cake, etc. or in any way enjoy oneself in January. You can bet the guys spouting this drivel on our papers, screens and radios and earning a fortune are enjoying every month of the year and to excess! To them, Christmas is no different to any other time of year.


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