Merry Christmas! This Festive Season Continues Still - Fr. Andrew Reckers

Most people recognize December 31st as New Year’s Eve. That is true of course, for it is indeed the last day of the calendar year. Many people, sadly, also think that by December 31st, Christmas is over. However, that is most certainly not true! Even though in the United States, Christmas decorations and music are common to see only from Black Friday through Christmas Day, December 25th is just the beginning of the Christmas Season, not its end. It is my hope that this article will encourage you to be of good cheer and continue to celebrate during the whole Christmas Season.

For how long should Christmas be celebrated? The secular answer in America has already been mentioned: From the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Day. However, the secular answer is not a Catholic answer. We know from the liturgical calendar that the period of time from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day includes the end of Ordinary Time and the whole Advent Season, with December 25th marking the start of the Christmas Season. From here, I present two approaches to how long Catholics could celebrate Christmas that are consistent with Catholic culture: I call these two ways the traditional way and the contemporary way.

Traditionally, especially before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, it was customary for Catholics to celebrate Christmas during a 40-day period of time known as Christmastide: From Christmas Day to Candlemas (February 2nd), inclusive. Candlemas gets its name from the custom of blessing all the liturgical candles for the Church for the upcoming year and having a candlelit procession into the Church just before Mass. Liturgically, Candlemas was called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary before Vatican II; now it is called the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Both of these titles are fitting, for Jesus was presented in the Temple in Jerusalem by his parents after Mary underwent the period of ritual purification that was required for Jewish women who had just given birth (see Luke 2:22-38).

A second Catholic approach to celebrating Christmas would be to celebrate during the Christmas Season of the contemporary liturgical calendar. Here, on the universal calendar, Christmas lasts from December 25th until the Sunday following the Epiphany. On the universal calendar, the Epiphany is on January 6th, and the following Sunday is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Even though in the dioceses of the United States, the Epiphany is observed on the Sunday following January 1st, it does not affect the length of the Christmas Season (however, it can result in the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord being transferred to the Monday following the Epiphany, if the Epiphany is observed in the United States after January 6th).

Regardless of whether you follow the traditional way or the contemporary way, New Year’s Eve and Day are always in the Christmas Season. Moreover, both days are within an especially festive period known as the Octave of Christmas (an Octave is an eight-day liturgical period of enhanced solemnity including and following an especially high solemn feast day such as Christmas Day or Easter Sunday). As a result, it is right and just to continue to wish everyone a “Merry Christmas!” It is also fitting to keep your Christmas decorations up and keep enjoying your favorite Christmas songs and carols. Don’t let the Grinch of the secular culture steal Christmas from you—the Christmas Season is not yet over, so let’s keep spreading the joy of this festive season to everyone we meet!