When is Christmas Finally Over?

THE CATHOLIC HERALD
By Gretchen Crowe

Catholic homes usually leave Christmas decorations up until at least the Epiphany, if not the Baptism of the Lord, Father deLadurantaye said. If your tree is fading fast, however, the Nativity scene could always stay out until the Christmas season officially ends. But technically the liturgical season of Christmas isn’t over until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, this year celebrated not on a Sunday — because of the way the calendar falls — but on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. Though it isn’t the official teaching of the Church, some view Feb. 2, or the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas), as a suitable ending to the Christmas season. This reasoning dates back to the “Law of Moses” when, in the Old Testament, the firstborn sons were presented in a temple 40 days after their birth and their mothers were purified, as outlined in the Book of Leviticus. [link]