Disappearing Christmas Trees

The beautiful colors of the American Christmas Tree (Photo credit: Daniele Nicolucci photography)

Raise your hand if your Christmas Tree is still up.

Okay, both of you can go read something else. This is for the folks who took the tree down when the last gift was unwrapped. 😀

I know what you are thinking. “Why would we keep the tree up if Christmas is over?” Easy answer. Christmas isn’t over.

There’s a rich tradition that remains largely ignored during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. More information about this tapestry of remembrance after the jump.

The Catholic Church and some protestant groups observe something known as an Octave of Christmas until January 1. This octave recalls the Jewish practice of an eight-day celebration. Beyond that, we celebrate an extended Christmastime until January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany which falls somewhere between January 2 and January 8.) The popular Christmas song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” is rooted in the festive celebration of Christmastime and a celebration of the Catholic faith.

During Christmastime, there are feasts of three martyrs: St. Stephen on December 26, who represents those who went to their death willingly; St. John the Evangelist on December 27, who represents those who were willing to die but were not put to death; and the Holy Innocents on December 28. The feast of Holy Innocents represents those who were put to death without their choice, recalling the terrible political violence surrounding the Birth of Christ.

On the Sunday between Christmas and January 1, the Church celebrates the Holy Family. We don’t talk much about Joseph, though Mary and Jesus get considerable attention. With all of the difficulties of family life in modern times, this is a valuable conversation starting celebration. And it can be kept at home without trying to fit yet another worship service into an already hectic time.

The key is sacrifice. The Birth of Jesus is surrounded by festivals of martyrs and the idea of sacrifice. That’s important for our understanding of the nativity. Christ came to love us, even to the point of death. It’s easy to forget that when we focus to much on returning our gifts and eating leftovers until we party at New Year’s Eve.

For more information on these festivals, you’ve got some options. Start by reading up on the information at Wikipedia. These articles aren’t definitive (it is Wikipedia, after all), but you can get a great start on learning about this.

You can always drop by the church and let’s talk. Or send me an email, or post a comment below and let’s chat.

Either way, you can see that Christmas is still a very active holiday well into the New Year. Next year, you might want to consider putting up that live tree later in December and keeping it around until the Epiphany.