Now that Christmas Day has passed, the presents have been opened, and the feast has been prepared (and eaten!), it's time to take down the Christmas tree, pack up the decorations, and start dreaming about next Christmas, right?
No! Christmas has only just begun. And while most of us may find it hard to sustain our celebration of Christmas all the way through until the traditional end of the season on February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (also known as Candlemas), we can easily celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, which end with the Solemnity of the Epiphany, on January 6.
In an important way, Epiphany completes the Christmas feast, because it is the day that we celebrate the fact that Christ came to bring salvation to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. That's why the Old Testament reading for Epiphany is Isaiah 60:1-6, which is a prophecy of Christ's birth and the submission of all nations to Him, and includes a specific prophecy of the Wise Men coming to pay homage to Christ. And the Gospel is Matthew 2:1-12, which is the story of the visit of the Wise Men, who represent the Gentiles.
In some countries, it is customary to give small gifts throughout the twelve days of Christmas. In our family, because we're usually visiting our relatives in another state on Christmas Day, our children open one small gift on each day of Christmas, and then, having returned home, we go to Mass on Epiphany, and open all of our presents that night (after a special dinner).
Of course, we keep the Christmas tree up the whole time, play Christmas music, and continue to wish friends and family a Merry Christmas. It's all a wonderful way to draw the joy of Christmas into the New Year--and to draw our children more fully into the beauties of the Catholic Faith.
More on the Christmas Season:
- Reader Question: When Does the Christmas Season Start?
- The Solemnity of Christmas
- Epiphany
- The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord When Should You Take Down Your Christmas Tree?
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I wish more Americans celebrated all the 12 days. I hate the
the idea of having to take everything down and move on so
soon after a month of preparation. The colonial Americans
kept all the 12 days. It wasn’t until relatively recently that
Americans ended it on the 25th.
We’ve been celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas for over 30 years now. Keeping Advent as a preparation time and the Twelve Days as a celebration time makes our holiday much less stressful and more meaningful.
Our family has also celebrated the 12 days of Christmas for over 30 years. One of my wife’s favorite touches is to move the figures of the three magi around the house, and only on Epiphany do they “reach” the manger scene. The grandkids like to track the magi as they move from day to day.
We celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, right through the Epiphany. That is the true Christmas Season.
We do not take our decorations down until after January 6th.
I worked in Holland a few years ago and noticed they kept the Christmas decorations up through the end of January (including the Nativity scene). It was really nice to see.
Most Americans (and Radio Stations) follow the world of retail and end Christmas at midnight Dec 25th. It’s sad that they stop playing Christmas music in the middle of the Celebration. At the very least they should continue to play Christmas Music through January 1st.
I have so enjoyed and appreciated the readings for Advent and have read each one each day as I lit the Advent candles. Are there any readings for the 12 days of Christmas?
Thanks for this important article. Most people seem not to realize Christmas is a SEASON. Celebrating all 12 days makes the holiday SEASON leisurely, relaxed, and meaningful. I send out the rest of my Christmas cards as they will arrive “on time” before January 6th. I feel compassion for all those who have been fooled into thinking Christmas is a “one day shopping event.” Well, time to start those remaining cards, turn on the candles in the windows, and bake those sugar cookies. Cook my hoppin john on Twelfth Night, January 5, rather than New Years Day when everyone wants quiet. Thus, the Christmas SEASON gets celebrated all 12 days!
Thanks again!
After all the running around and fixing up and decorating, people just end it. This point is when I want to hear the Christmas carols and truly enjoy the moment of Christmas. I had someone wish me a “Happy day after Christmas”. My response was just “Merry Christmas” because it is still Christmas. The fear is that we might (or have lost)Advent. The fear is also that we might (and again have lost) Christmas.
I’ve always tried to keep the Christmas spirit going through the twelve days; our tree never comes down until Epiphany. As a music teacher, I love carols, but our commercial culture has worn them down by the 25th. I’ve thought of holding a Twelfth Night party one of these years to keep the seaon alive.
I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WHEN I GOOGLED ABOUT CHRISTMAS TO FIND THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO BELIEVES THAT WE ARE AMISS IN NOT CELEBRATING THE 12 DAY TIDE (AT LEAST). DOES ANYONE KNOW AN ONLINE RADIO STATION THAT CONTINUES THRU JAN. 6th ? I AM RETIRED AND UPON RETIREMENT I DETERMINED THAT I WOULD OBSERVE THE 12 DAYS. AS A SIDE NOTE, THE OBSERVANCE MAY TAKE SOME OF THE WIND OUT OF THE COMMERCIALISM. IF WE OBSERVE 3 KINGS DAY AS SOME DO IN MEXICO, WE COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE AFTER XMAS SALES AND STILL NOT BE LATE ! ONE LAST NOTE. THE 12 DAY OBSERVANCE IS A NICE BRIDGE OVER INTO THE NEW YEAR ! MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!
I stopped decorating the Christmas tree during Advent for the past few years now. Its only after the last Sunday of Advent that we seriously start taking out the decorations from the storage and sorting everything out. Its sad many Christian families start decorating from November itself without understanding what Advent is about. Then i keep all the decorations at least until the 3rd week of January before i begin the task of sadly taking down all the decorations and the Nativity set.
As most I as my wife and children believe that Christmas is a season that begins actually on Christmas Eve and ends on the Epiphany. We do take down many of the items like the Christmas Tree and decorations after New Years Day more for us to understand it is time to move on. One thing we do keep up outside is a large Manger scene that is lite at night so all can see until after Epiphany is over. We try to simplify the meaning of Christmas by shedding all else but the Manger scene.
Just some other thoughts