William O’Leary
Did You Know?
- The Church celebrates the Octave of Christmas (8 days) as if it’s one continual “day.”
- But it doesn’t end there – the Christmas Season goes until the Baptism of the Lord – this year that is January 10th.
- The 12 Days of Christmas Song was created during a time in Great Britain when Catholicism was illegal. It’s meant to remember the gift of our Catholic Faith between December 25th and the Feast of the Epiphany (traditionally January 6th).
- The Liturgical Color is white for the Christmas Season!
What’s the Difference Between Advent and Christmas?
Advent prepares us to celebrate not only the historical coming of the Son of God, Jesus Christ on December 25th, but it also prepares us to celebrate when Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. If we live our lives faithful to the Gospel and to God’s ways we have so much to look forward to as we prepare to be with God in Heaven. The incarnation is central to our Faith. The Word became flesh the Catechism says (#457-460) for 4 reasons:
- The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God.
- The Word became flesh so that we might know God’s love.
- The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness.
- The Word became flesh to make us partakers of the divine nature.
This is Good News! This is cause for great rejoicing! This is the reason for our hope!
Ideas for Celebrating the Christmas Season:
Make A Cake for Jesus and Sing Happy Birthday
On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day have a meal together followed by the lighting of the Christ candle on your Advent wreath, and then read the Scripture account of Jesus’ birth. After that have cake for Jesus. Consider a chocolate cake, representing sin. Fill it with some type of filling (maybe strawberry, raspberry or cherry), representing the blood of Jesus, and cover it with white frosting which represents our new life in Christ.
Open Gifts during the Octave of Christmas
Consider not opening all your gifts on Christmas Day so you can stretch it out through the Christmas Season – maybe grandparents, aunts and uncle’s gifts are reserved to open during the Octave of Christmas.
Keep Decorations Up during the Christmas Season (not just Advent)
No it’s not practical but it’s Catholic. Keep your decorations up through the Christmas Season. At least through Epiphany, but consider through the Baptism of the Lord – which is the conclusion of the Christmas Season.
Mark the Feasts of the First Martyrs
During the Octave of Christmas the Church celebrates a trio of martyrs’ feasts – St. Stephen on Dec. 26, St. John the Evangelist on Dec. 27 (considered a white martyr) and the Feast of Holy Innocents on December 28. Find out more on the USCCB.org website about these feasts. Do something special in your home to celebrate these feasts. Tell the story of them during dinner. These feasts are important for us to remember that Baby Jesus came not just because that was something cute and precious but the fact that Christ came to take away our sins and He did it by dying on the Cross for us. Following Christ involves real sacrifice and has infinite value.
Do a Family Examen (taken from teachingcatholickids.com)
On January 1, do an “examen” of the life of your family in the past year. If praying the Examen is too formal, go through your calendar month by month, talking about the biggest events. Or go through family photos month by month. As you share memories, talk about the high points and the low points.
12 Great Ideas To Celebrate The Christmas Season
5 Ideas To Celebrate The Ephiphany
Celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (taken from teachingcatholickids.com)
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
It’s also the perfect time to remember your kids’ baptisms, and to talk about what that means: “Did you know you were baptized, too, just like Jesus?” Tell the story of your child’s baptism. What was the most memorable moment? Why did you ask to have your child baptized? What promises did you have to make? Pull out anything related to your kids’ baptism: a baptismal gown, candle, pictures, or video.
Using fabric markers, make a tablecloth celebrating baptism containing the baptismal dates of everyone in the family; bring it out for meals on the anniversary of each person’s baptism.