© PhotoAlto/Frederic Cirou/PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections when to take down your christmas tree 

Oh, the dreaded chore of taking down a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Once the sugar rush from holiday sweets and treats wear off and all the presents are unwrapped, you realize that you now have the fun task of taking down a tree that's likely shedding needles all over the house.

Some people take down the tree simply whenever they can conjure up the motivation to change out of their Christmas jammies and get on with the "real world." But for others, there are very specific dates that must be adhered to either out of tradition or just plain old superstition.

Here are popular dates to take down the tree along with the reason why:

December 31: Take your tree down on New Year's Eve before the bells toll at midnight. Otherwise it's said you'll be dragging all your baggage and bad luck from last year into the new year... if you're superstitious about these things, that is.

January 5: Take your tree down on this day, traditionally considered the Twelfth Day of Christmas – i.e. the last of twelve days of Christmas merriment. Think of it as getting closure on the Holiday season.

January 6: Take it down on January 6 in observance of the Epiphany, a Christian holiday marking the revelation of God in human form, in the person of Jesus. Again, some would say leaving your tree up beyond the 5th or 6th brings bad luck.