I’ve still got my Christmas tree – and it’s staying up until 2 February

It’s the third week of January, and our Christmas tree is still – still – up, pride of place in the living room, its fairy lights still sweetly twinkling away. Completely intentionally! You may well be wondering whether the sky fell in over our house after such wilful disobedience of the Christian tradition that states that all festive decorations must be down by Twelfth Night. No, I can categorically report that it did not.

It was actually at my children’s request, and a first for our household – I did not miss a beat in answering, actually yes – why on earth not? Why not harness the festive spirit when we most need it? In the face of cold January gloom, doesn’t it make perfect sense to keep the fairy lights switched on for as long as possible? I know I’m not alone, as I can see my neighbour still has all her outdoor lights up, and friends in London report the same about their neighbours too. It cheers me up every time I pass them.

Honestly, I don’t understand why more people don’t question this irrational superstition, because, let’s face it, I don’t see a deadline for getting rid of Christmas on Twelfth Night written anywhere in the scriptures. It’s not like wrestling a prickly, heavy, cumbersome fir tree out of the house could possibly qualify as anyone’s idea of fun – I can’t deny that delaying this chore was part of my justification here. Maybe that’s why the rule was invented, so that we’ll be worried into doing a job that no one wants to do, before the tree sheds all its needles all over our living rooms.

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But maybe now with the ubiquity of the non-drop Nordmann fir tree, this rule is past its sell-by date. Our tree is still looking so luxuriant and bushy and not in the least bit droopy, thanks to some loving spritzing with a fine water mist a few times a week. We’re now viewing the tree as more of a house plant – a massive and twinkly house plant that is adding a very big, healthy hit of calming green nature to our indoor view. (I’d also spent a small fortune on the tree and like the idea of decreasing its cost-per-day ratio – if we hold onto it until the start of February, it drops from about £2 a day to £1.)

Even English Heritage pointed out the inaccuracy of the puritanical tradition of Twelfth Night earlier this month. According to English Heritage’s senior properties historian Dr Michael Carter, this banish-Christmas-from-the-house-now-or-be-forever-cursed nonsense is a “modern invention”. Indeed, the institution is encouraging the public to keep their festive decorations up until the 2 February – apparently the official-official end of Christmas, when the Christian festival of Candlemas lands, as it would have been in medieval England.

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Respect to the festive-minded person behind this campaign, which English Heritage also promoted this time three years ago, after the country’s first Covid Christmas. Thanks to them for permitting us to extend the festivities in such times of need. Visit some of English Heritage’s historic houses – Audley End House in Essex, Framlingham Castle in Suffolk and Osborne on the Isle of Wight – and you’ll see Christmas still in full swing, with fully decorated trees, and no evidence of any evil goblins deploying bad luck upon unsuspecting visitors.

“I’m of the opinion,” says Carter, “that after the year we’ve all had, we certainly deserve to keep the Christmas cheer going a little longer.” I couldn’t agree more, Dr Carter. I am all for historical accuracy.

I also did give the tree a decorative refresh and removed all the Christmas-themed baubles, though, of course, the twinkly lights got to stay. Then I redecorated it with some sweet paper butterflies that my children had made a while back and a random flock of mismatched bird figures (wooden, plush, fabric – all of which had been kicking around the house), and an owl puppet hooked over the top of the tree. This, I post-rationalised, was a celebration of spring, and I must admit, it does give the tree a new sense of purpose. And goes some way to helping house guests understand why we still have a Christmas tree up in late January. It’s such a joyful thing to do, honestly, I think we may have turned a few people.