What are the 12 Days of Christmas?

Advent isn't Christmas. Advent is a penitential season, milder than Lent, but still with a focus on preparation for the coming of the Lord by repenting of our sins. Our culture has unfortunately collapsed the season of Christmas into Advent, and in combining the two has lost something of both. Christmas has been taken over by corporations eager to line their pockets, creating whole new industries of cheap Christmas gifts. December has become a frenzied month of shopping, eating, and sentimentality. Christmas Day is no less frantic, often bringing chaos and a focus on outward appearances. The Christmas dinner must be perfect, the family photos worthy of publication. Then the world wakes up on December 26 and goes on as it was before—trees are taken down, lights are put in the garage, and the nativity scenes are packed away.

But Christmas isn't over! Christmas is a liturgical season of the Church year that extends until Epiphany on January 6. This is where the twelve days of Christmas come from. We all know the cumulative carol about birds, golden rings, and milkmaids, but the song exists because Christmas is a season, not a single day.

From December 25 to January 5, we have twelve glorious days to celebrate that the eternal Son of God took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. We have twelve days to reflect on the great paradox of the baby King in the manger, looking with wondering human eyes on the night starts that He created.

Long after the world has put away its decorations and cleaned up from its parties, the Church continues to celebrate the coming of our King in humility. So let the world put away their plastic Santa Clauses and Reindeer. Let the world stop its celebration. Let the world move on; in the Church, we continue to keep the feast. So don't be afraid to say "Merry Christmas" in January. Keep up the Christmas tree until Epiphany if you want. Spread your gift giving out, not focusing on a single day, but a season of celebration. Rest from the busyness of our culture, and know that your Lord was made flesh so that you would celebrate with Him for eternity.

May the Lord grant us a holy Advent, a merry Christmas, and the grace to keep the feast for the full twelve days.

-Pastor Pope