This year, on the First of November, I found myself in a coffee shop attempting to work on a sermon. The Halloween decorations were being taken down by the staff. Although I tried to keep my mind on the Scriptures and themes for that Sunday, I was distracted by the music being played. The dulcet tones of Bing Crosby singing “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” kept me from any homiletical productivity. What happened to Thanksgiving?, I thought grumpily.
Many a tirade has been written about the never-ending encroachment of Christmas on the weeks — and now months — leading up to it. As members of a liturgically ordered tradition, Anglicans know that there are indeed 12 days of Christmas, and that those 12 days start on Christmas Day.
I used to be one of the ranters who felt self-righteous indignation toward (and no small judgment against) those who would dare to engage in Christmas festivities before their time. And I still think the Church’s approach of a sharp distinction between Advent and Christmas is ideal. Whether we have had a meditative and reflective Advent or have been non-canonically celebrating Christmas since All Hallow’s, the 12 days are approaching, and it is wise to ask how we will keep them. As with all the Church’s seasons, there are some wonderful opportunities. I’d like to suggest a few ways of keeping merry not for one day, but for the season. Let’s mark the 12 days even if the commercial world has moved on to New Year’s and — God help us — Valentine’s Day.
These suggestions, I should note, are for families and the home.
- Don’t lose the decorations. In days of yore, Christmas merriment in some places lasted a full 40 days, not ending until the Feast of the Presentation. I’m not suggesting you keep your tree up until February 2, though I’m not saying you shouldn’t. But celebrating the Incarnation of the eternal Word of God is worth some significant space on our calendar. At least keep it going until the liturgical season of Christmas has ended on Epiphany.
- Keep your home Advent wreath lighted — with an added white Christ candle in the center. Some folks use all-white candles for Christmastide.
- It’s OK to be weird about it. Keep wishing people “Merry Christmas.” Gather with fellow parishioners or ecumenical friends and go Christmas caroling on the 26th, 27th, or beyond. Your non-liturgical neighbors might think you’ve gone mad, but have fun with it. Christ the Savior is born!
- Speaking of which, the days after Christmas are wonderful feasts and days of commemoration. Three Holy Days (“Red Letter Days”) fall in Christmastide: St Stephen, St. John, Holy Innocents, and Holy Name. Rubrically speaking, your church should be celebrating these as well. But even if it is not, you can observe them in your home. Pray the collects for these feasts and read the lessons found in the prayer book’s lectionary.
- There are also Commemorations (Days of Optional Observance) on some of the other days of Christmas, which are worth looking up. Learn about and celebrate the witness of Thomas Becket, Frances Joseph Gaudet, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and the Desert Mothers Sarah, Theodora, and Syncletica of Egypt.
- On New Year’s Eve, while others are celebrating an arbitrary turning of the secular calendar, consider spending some time meditating on “the only name under heaven given for health and salvation,” the Holy Name of Jesus. Even if you are still planning to attend a party, stay up till midnight, drink champagne, and kiss your beloved.
- Finally, one practice that my wife and I have observed for most of our married life has been to throw a Twelfth Night Party on January 5. Sometimes it’s been a large open house, others a more intimate dinner or dessert party. But it is a lovely way to add a bookend to the close of Christmastide. Besides, it’s awfully convenient, because Christmas decorations are on sale after the 25th.
It is common for us, in seasons of penitence or times of reflection, to reflect on our spiritual life and the mercy of God. Many institutions produce daily devotionals for the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent. But let’s also remember that days of celebration are even more important. If, indeed, joy has come to the world in the person of Emmanuel, the Word made flesh, then we have plenty of rejoicing to do, and it won’t fit into a solitary day.
The Rev. Geoffrey Mackey is the Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, Parkersburg, WV. Prior to his current call, he spent over twenty years in Christian college and seminary contexts in administration, teaching, and student pastoral care. He studied at evangelical, Catholic, and Anglican seminaries and previously served as a parish priest in the Catholic Church’s Byzantine Rite.