Christmastide, the Celebration of the Nativity of Jesus

It's Not Just a Song

For many Western Christian denominations, the Twelve Days of Christmas, or Christmastide, are a 12-day festive religious season that celebrates the Nativity of Jesus. The 12 days represent the time that it took for the three wise men or kings to travel to Bethlehem to visit baby Jesus and offer him gifts. 

The festival season, which begins on Christmas Day (December 25), ends on the evening of January 5^th (called Twelfth Night); this marks the end of Christmas festivities. Others say it goes from the sunset of December 24 to the sunset of the day before Epiphany. While I turn my trees on and off to enjoy looking at them in the evenings between Thanksgiving weekend when I decorate them through Christmas eve, starting then, I leave my tree on and only turn it off at midnight for January 6th which begins, the Feast of the Epiphany, when the wise men recognized the coming of Jesus.

Day 1: The feast in celebration of Jesus’ birth, December 25 (for many it begins at sundown on the 24^th). Many churches hold evening services, while Midnight Mass, to mark the Christ child’s birth on the 25th, at Saint Mary’s was heralded by many Greenwood families.

Day 2: The feast of Saint Stephen as included in the song, Good King Wenceslas. Also known as Boxing Day as Saint Stephen was known for helping the poor and alms or charity boxes are opened to share with the needy. If you have read many of the Under the Greenwood Tree Christmas posts, you have read about the churches and organizations in town creating boxes and distributing them.

Day 3: The feast of Saint John includes a lot of wine drinking and toasting. According to legend, Saint John drank a glass of poisoned wine and survived because he blessed the wine before drinking it. You may have heard about wassail which means “be in good health”. Bowls of what was called wassail, a hot ale with spices, sugar and apples were served to friends and family on this day.

Day 4: The feast of the Holy Innocents commemorates the infants and young children killed in Bethlehem by order of King Herod, as recounted in Matthew 2:16–18. Fearing the prophecy of a new “King of the Jews,” Herod ordered the massacre of male children in an attempt to eliminate the Christ child.

Day 5: Memorial of unnamed martyrs commemorates and acknowledges the many witnesses to faith that were never recorded, the martyrs whose names, stories, or dates are unknown.

Day 6: May be observed but is not required, an optional remembrance that allows communities to reflect rather than move immediately to celebration. It recognizes that the Christmas story unfolds in a world where suffering persists. Churches may use this time to reflect on community members who are no longer with us.

Day 7: New Year’s Eve, Watch Night which is focused on prayer, reflection, and renewal as the old year ends and the new one begins. The idea comes from Christian “watch” services—keeping spiritual vigil, often inspired by Jesus’ call to “watch and pray.”

Day 8: Octave Day of Christmas, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, In the Church’s liturgical tradition, an octave is an eight-day extension of a major feast. Rather than celebrating Christmas for just one day, the Church treats it as eight continuous days of solemn celebration. By celebrating Mary on the Octave Day, the Church emphasizes that the child born at Christmas is truly God incarnate. A bridge between Christmas joy and Epiphany revelation.

Day 9: Memorial of Saints is to broaden the focus from specific holy figures to the whole communion of saints as the Christmas season continues. It honors all saints, especially those not already named earlier in the octave, emphasizes the ongoing witness of holiness following Christ’s birth, and shifts attention from martyrdom toward faithful living.

Day 10: Preparation for Epiphany is a day of anticipation, a bridge from birth to revelation, a reminder that Christ is for all people, and a call to prepare heart, mind, and community for Epiphany.

Day 11: Liturgical preparation includes reviewing Epiphany readings and hymns, preparing blessings, incense, candles, or chalk, teaching the meaning of Epiphany symbols (star, Magi, gifts), and reflecting on how worship forms mission.

Day 12: Twelfth Night, the final eve of the Christmas season is the transition from celebration to revelation. It is the last night of Christmas, a moment of waiting and watching, a blend of sacred vigil and communal joy.

Epiphany meaning manifestation or appearance on January 6^th. Signifies the revelation of Christ through the Magi. The 12-day structure allows communities to celebrate various aspects of the Incarnation—not just the birth, but also the divine recognition of Jesus by wise men from afar.