The festive spirit in the streets encourages people to decorate their homes from the inside. Why was December 8th the day to start? The Christian tradition established this date as the Day of the Immaculate Conception. In return, they do not have the Three Kings' Day celebration and take everything down after New Year's Eve. The meaning of the tree Beyond the date, the act of setting up the tree has a "healing effect" and its symbols have several meanings: The tree: Being an evergreen (green and pointed), it symbolizes the life and love of God. The lights: They represent joy and splendor, or the mystery of Christmas Eve and the birth of Christ. The gifts: They are associated with the "Tree of Paradise", the one from which "all goods proceeded", and that is why the gifts from the Three Kings (or Santa Claus) "always fall at its feet". The tradition of setting up the Christmas tree on December 8th, the Day of the Immaculate Conception, is losing its strength. In Nordic countries, for example, Christmas starts on December 13th with the feast of Saint Lucia. The main reason is that this long weekend became the "mandatory getaway" for traveling before the end of the year. With this new custom of using the "December bridge" for tourism, a new date is gaining ground for starting to decorate homes. When is it recommended to set up the tree in 2025? The new date recommended by trends and calendar experts is the last weekend of November. This custom, imported from other cultures like the American one (where the White House has even received its tree on November 23rd), also aligns with the lighting of Christmas lights in big cities. It symbolizes the beginning of the tradition "from that virgin womb that we celebrate". However, this date is not universal.
