An LA Epiphany

The feast day of Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th in western Christian tradition, an event considered the culimation of the Christmas season. Tonight from 6 PM to 8:30 PM, Olvera Street will be hosting a reenactment of the journey of the Three Kings to celebrate.

Anyway, the date has triggered an epiphany of our own--exactly when can we reasonably expect Angelenos to take down all the holiday lights, trees and geegaws?

So far we've seen some trees tossed on the sidewalk awaiting the garbage man who may never come; be sure to check the Los Angeles County Christmas Tree Recycling Hotline for the Christmas tree curbside recycling schedule in your neighborhood.

We'll allow that keeping the trinkets up until New Year's Day makes sense, but when exactly is it permissible to mutter and roll our eyes at the irrational exuberance/laziness of folks who still have the lights up WEEKs or, shudder, MONTHS after January 1st?

We think it should end after Twelfth Night or at least next week when Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas, which falls 13 days after Western Christmas on January 7th this year. If the lights are still up after Mardi Gras (February 8th), that's pushing it.

So we ask you, gentle reader, what's a reasonable amount of time to expect everyone to take the tinsel down in this town?