National Take Down The Christmas Tree Day

It's National Take Down The Christmas Tree Day.

So why is January 6th, of all days, the day you should take down your Christmas tree? Well, let's take a tiny step back. Do you know that song "The 12 Days of Christmas"? The one with the partridge in a pear tree and all those people dancing and whatnot? Well, that song actually refers to Christmas and the 11 days after. It's the day known as "Epiphany," a Christian feast day.

Now that we've got through the "why January 6th" part, let's get to the "why you really should" part.

If you have a real Christmas tree, those things are dang ol' firebombs at this point. I have very personal experience with this when I had the opportunity to dispose of several Christmas trees in a burn barrel. Old Christmas trees go up like they are covered in gasoline. I cannot stress it enough: if you have a dry tree or wreath in your house, get it out as soon as possible. If your tree is still moister than an oyster, you'll probably be OK, but do yourself a favor and watch the video as a stark reminder that you need to keep an eye on it.

So what about the rest of you with artificial trees? I personally see no reason to do this on a Thursday when you have a perfectly good weekend right around the corner. As a matter of fact, I respect your right to keep the tree up all year long if it brings you joy. Myself, I've had a Halloween tree up for nearly two years (so long the lights have burned out).