Are We Getting Rid of our Traditional Christmas?

I started back to work this week and already the decorations have come down in the workspace. I see that many of the houses I've been driving past over the festive period have removed their decorations, the Christmas street lights are turned off and many friends are posting on Facebook how they've packed all the Christmas "stuff" up and it's back in the loft, as they are fed up with them.

Why?

What has happened to celebrating Christmas until Twelfth Night? This is (depending which calendar you follow and perhaps subject to another Blog) either the 5th or 6th December. That is this weekend so if we're really celebrating Christmas we should be doing so until the end of the Festive Period (the clue is in the description?).

We happily sing or listen to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which features many varied presents  none actually requiring batteries either, but how many of us are actually aware that this was how we celebrated Christmastime, over a period of some days?

I'm sad that many of our festivals are being diluted, becoming overblown or just forgotten.

For example:

Mothering Sunday has become Mother's Day, presumably to bring it in line with Father's Day, that appeared from the USA

Hallowe'en (please note the correct spelling!) has become Americanised and now is seemingly developing its own season, even though we celebrated it first in England!

Bonfire Night has become Fireworks Night (with many people increasingly not celebrating it on the night itself) and the significance of the Bonfire is being lost.

Father Christmas has become Santa Claus - another push from over the Pond.

(I won't even start on "Train Station" seemingly now replacing "Railway Station...)

I believe tradition is important and we should keep traditions going as a continuance of National Heritage and identity: of course some elements will change and I'm not against that, but we are now becoming more commercially driven rather than changing the celebration itself. I was saddened but not surprised to see the Easter Eggs appearing in Tesco before New Year's Eve - only about four months early.

So as to people getting tired of their Christmas decorations and taking them down early, may I suggest a tip?

Stick with tradition and put them up on Christmas Eve - or if that's too much, just don't put them up so early!