ACCORDING to tradition, the Christmas tree comes down on the twelfth night. But in the maelstrom of the pandemic, many of us are keeping our trees going, with some now re-decorating them for Valentine’s Day.

 

People still have their Christmas trees up?

BBC Breakfast host Louise Minchin amazed viewers when she revealed that she still has her tree up, despite the fact it is a real tree and would be expected to have lost its needles. It also still has all its decorations and fairy lights. She said: “I turn the lights on still every night. I know I’m not alone…And it’s going to stay.”

 

It’s still going strong?

Her latest tweet featuring a twinkling image of her tree confirmed her plan to keep it going for as long as possible, saying: “The weather is miserable so I have turned these lights on again to cheer me up. The Christmas tree is keeping me going. I hope it brings a smile to some of you too.”

 

Social media went wild?

Viewers posted images of their still-standing Christmas trees. One viewer, James Evans, tweeted: “I still have my tree up, my tree is still alive so as long as it lives it is staying put. Keeps me going too!” Another wrote: “Our tree is still up and will be all year. Changing the decorations to suit the season. Spring decs going on - flowers and chocs.”

 

A “Valentine’s Tree?”

It’s a “thing” now, apparently, partly due to a general desire for more light in these dark times, as well as the lure of joining in a new photograph-friendly social media trend to transform the Christmas tree into a decoration fit for February 14.

 

Instagram’s the place to show it off?

Instagram influencer Jennifer Houghton is among those running with the trend. The Texas-based mother-of-five interior designer has an online tutorial on how to transform your tree. On her “Turtle Creek Lane” page, she says: “I know for me, I’m always a little tired when Christmas is over, and frankly, I want to enjoy it a little bit longer! A few years ago…I had this idea; what if I just converted it to a Valentine’s Tree?! I’ve been doing it ever since!! It’s so fun! And surprisingly to me, the idea has really taken off!!”

 

Any tips?

Red and pink roses, love hearts, white, pink or red lights, tinsel and lots of it seems to be the idea, with Ms Houghton suggesting it is best to “remove anything that screams Christmas!”

 

Easter trees?

Another seemingly new trend boosted by being photographic friendly for social media, the tradition of decorating the branches of trees with eggs for Easter is actually centuries old in Germany, with eggs - an ancient symbol of life - hung on branches of outdoor trees and bushes and on cut branches inside.

 

Either way?

It seems that trees are here to stay for as long as possible in 2021.