Ask a Priest—How to Celebrate all Twelve Days of Christmas

With Fr. John Mark Solitario, O.P.

Q. So apparently there really are “12 Days of Christmas” recognized by the Church. How do Catholic families celebrate the other eleven days after December 25th?

​Fr. John Mark: Yes, if you count the days from Christmas until the traditional date for Epiphany (Jan 6), there are indeed twelve days! This reminds us of the time leading up to Jesus’ circumcision and naming on the eighth day after his birth (cf. Lk 2:21), in addition to the time it took for the Magi to arrive before Herod began his dreadful persecution. The readings at Mass during these twelve days take on a variety of subjects as the Church peacefully gazes upon the Incarnate Son of God and then grapples with the variety of reactions his birth provoked and continues to provoke.

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It shouldn’t be surprising that Catholic culture over the centuries has developed countless traditions to celebrate the twelve days of Christmas. Flowing from participation in splendid liturgies and recollection through quiet moments spent in prayer, these days from Christmas Day to Epiphany can be joy-filled for each of us and our families.

Since no one wants to be a Scrooge with regard to the “keeping” of Christmas, here I recommend some basic principles to inspire and cultivate a true and full Christmas spirit. Here I admit to enlisting one of the most un-scrooge-like moms in the parish, Mrs. Christy Kellner, to help give us some ideas about celebrating the Christmas Season in a Catholic home:

• A spirit of sharing and giving. In the midst of festivity, we are often to tempted to gorge ourselves on sweets or binge-watch our favorite TV series. No doubt, celebratory food and entertainment has its place at Christmas. Yet to enjoy these things with a true Christmas spirit, it is best to see them as gifts best shared in human company for edifying ends. What do I mean? The greatest joys we are promised at Christmas are spiritual, the fruits of divine love received in our hearts and shared: joy, peace, and mercy. These gifts originate from an encounter with God who “loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son” (Jn 3:16) and they blossom when we enjoy them in companionship with others. Christy recommends a withdrawal from purely materialistic or commercial pursuits. Family time, enhanced by games and other creative past-times, is something worth cultivating. Activities that bring us “outside our bubble” are highly significant too, like singing carols for the poor and those confined to nursing homes. Even during COVID, we can find ways to imitate Jesus who, even though he was the Son of God, took on our lowly humanity so that we could partake in his divinity.  
• Living liturgically. Christy explains that the Church’s liturgy in the Christmas season can be highly formative and beneficial: “We go to daily Mass more often as a family… One of my favorite Masses is the Mass for the Holy Family. And I always appreciated [the] pro-life, pro marriage, pro-family homily during that Mass... Living liturgically in general helps to keep our family Christ-centered… In fact, we keep this tradition alive all year round.  Our day starts with praying through the Mass readings and the Saint of the Day. When time and energy allows I will craft the whole home school day around the Saint or Mass reading, but usually those types of days are saved for Saints we have a special devotion. But I do typically cook to that Saint and their geographical region or incorporate a craft or art project related to the Saint.” From Christy’s involvement with the Become Catholic program, I know how excited she gets about bringing the Church’s daily saints and seasons into family celebrations. This leads to a final recommendation.
• A spirit of celebrating. Everyone knows the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Christy has used this fun carol to inspire the ongoing, faith-centered observance of Christmas in the home at least up to the start of Epiphany (a.k.a. “Twelfth Night”). Can you guess the hidden Catholic meaning behind the twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords of leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids of milking, seven swans of swimming, six geese of laying, five golden rings, 4 calling birds three French hens, two turtle doves, and the partridge in the pear tree (See below)? Some “foodies” have developed Epiphany-menus based off this list to enjoy with family and friends during these days. Others extend gift-giving throughout this time. Christy recommends continuing to play Christmas music and keeping the Christmas tree, lights, decorations, and Nativity scenes at least until the celebration of Epiphany.

To end, I borrow the penultimate sentence from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, in hopes that Scrooge’s discovery and transformation would be ours in the full celebration of this grace-filled season: “And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!”

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