For most of us, Christmas is more than one day, it's a season. The world of commerce has taught us that Christmas begins the day after thanksgiving and extends to January 6th. The longer the better so we will have more days to shop. But Christmas is not a creation of the commercial interests, in spite of how they seem to control our thoughts. Christmas is a religious celebration and the dates are founded in tradition.
Most of us think of the day after Thsnksgiving as the start of the Christmas season because of Black Friday. But if you're going to go with that date, you have to recognize the religious season called Advent. Advent lasts forty days leading up to the Epiphany on January 6th. Advent means the coming and loosely means the coming of Christ. The Advent Calendar encourages a small gift every day of the forty and has become very popular.
The Epiphany occurs on January 6th and celebrates the day the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem to welcome the baby Jesus. If you celebrate a shorter Christmas season you might prefer the Twelve days of Christmas which begin on December 24th and end on January 6th.
In many traditions, especially the German culture which brought us the chrustmas tree, the decorations do not appear until Christmas Eve. The children go to bed and the tree in all its glory appears overnight. That must have started back before parents had to stay up half the night assembling bicycles and doll houses. Plus, the tree was lit with candles, a particularly dangerous thing to do with a rapidly drying spruce tree. So the tree was a briefly occurring holiday decoration.
Electric lights and artificial trees have hugely extended the Christmas tree season. I wonder if "live" trees, which are technically "dead" trees, are sprayed with any kind of fire retardant? Perhaps not, as the chemicals might prove toxic in a closed up winter home. Even so, some people suffer allergies from the introduction of the tree into the home. Even the artificial tree can be a problem as it introduces dust and mold from the basement or attic into the living areas of the house. Every year there is at least one story about a squirrel or chipmunk or other small live critter that makes it into someone's house hidden in the branches of the tree. Exciting!
Well, my mother added the interesting caveat to christmas tree lore...it was unlucky to leave your tree up after January 1st. She never explained why but New Years Day was always spent taking down the decorations. I doubt there was anything more to the story than a desire to get the house back in order. It is true though, as beautiful as the house looks fully decorated, it is a welcome sight to see it stripped bare of decorations.
The final Christmas challenge is incorporating all your wonderful gifts into your environment. Gift cards are easy. They can be tucked into a drawer or even a wallet. Cash fits everyone and the color goes with everything. A new sweater or piece of jewelry isn't so hard to put away. A panini maker or a griddle grill may require some kitchen cupboard rearranging, it may even set out on the counter for a while. All the better to use it 'cause it's probably not going to get much use once it is moved to the top shelf in the pantry or the bottom shelf under the sink. If your gift is as big as a tv or a piece of furniture let's hope you knew it was coming!
So, whether Christmas is over for you today, the 26th, or you're just getting started celebrating, I hope it brings you the peace and love we are all seeking this time of year, in deed, all year round.
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