Discovering the Saints

Everyone is familiar with the comical 12 Days of Christmas song but what many don’t know is that the song is not referring to the 12 days leading up to Christmas. The 12 days of Christmas actually begins with Christmas day and is the beginning of the traditional season of Christmastide. Christmas day is supposed to be the kick-off to what is an entire 40-day period of celebration of the birth of Christ.

The most festive period of Christmastide is the first eight days of Christmas called the octave of Christmas, these days are intended to be “emphasized by particular joy, lavishness, pomp, and glory.” The remaining four days of Christmas take us to Epiphany which marks the end of public celebration of Christmas, but not the end of the Christmas season. That ends on February 2 with Candlemas, the feast celebrating Christ’s presentation at the temple.

The practice of both Advent and the 12 Days of Christmas were established in the year 567 by the Council of Tours, meaning that Christians, including our own ancestors, have observed these holidays for well over a millennium.

For many families in the US schools will go on break for two weeks until after New Years, this creates an opportunity for families to really emphasize the importance of Christ as the focus of the season by not ending the celebrations with presents on Christmas morning. Some families (like mine) will hold off on exchanging presents until Epiphany when the Wise Men arrive to give their gifts to the Christ child. We have chosen to do this because Christmas day is usually spent with Grandparents and extended family, delaying our private celebrations gives us the opportunity to slow things down a bit and take our time to really enjoy and appreciate the season.

December 25: Christmas

December 26: Feast of St. Stephen and Memorial of Harold B. Lee

December 27: Feast of St. John the Evangelist

December 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents

December 30: Feast of the Holy Family and Memorial of the commandment to gather in Ohio

January 1: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

January 3: Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

January 6: Epiphany