Christmas: A Whole Season, Not a Single Day
For the world, Christmas is December 25 and then it is over. For the Church, December 25 is where Christmas begins. The Christmas season is the celebration of the Incarnation — God made man — and it unfolds over weeks: the twelve days to Epiphany, and on to the Baptism of the Lord. Its color is white and gold, the colors of glory and light.
The season of the Incarnation
At the heart of Christmas is a doctrine the Church never tires of: that the eternal Word, through whom all things were made, was born of the Virgin Mary and became one of us. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Christmas liturgies are saturated with this wonder — that God did not remain at a distance but entered his own creation as a child. The white and gold vestments, the carols, the crib in every church, all proclaim the same astonishing claim: that the maker of the stars lay in a manger.
The twelve days and Epiphany
The “twelve days of Christmas” are real — they run from Christmas Day to the Epiphany, traditionally January 6, the feast of the manifestation of Christ to the nations in the persons of the Magi. Epiphany is one of the oldest and greatest feasts of the Church, in some traditions ranking with Easter itself. The season also includes the feast of the Holy Family, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on January 1, and concludes with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
How long the Christmas season lasts
In the modern calendar, the Christmas season runs from the evening of December 24 until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Sunday after Epiphany — usually in the second week of January. So the Catholic who takes down the tree on December 26 has, in a sense, ended the feast just as the Church is beginning it. To keep Christmas as a season is to let the joy last: to keep the crib up, to greet one another with “Merry Christmas” through Epiphany, and to remember that the feast is not the wrapping paper but the Child.
Prayers and devotions
- The Nativity crib — the Christmas crèche, given to the Church by Saint Francis of Assisi, who staged the first living nativity at Greccio in 1223.
- The Angelus and the Glory to God (the angels’ hymn at Bethlehem), which returns to the Mass at Christmas after its absence through Advent.
- The Magnificat — Mary’s song, prayed every evening, and never more fitting than in the days of the Nativity.
- Epiphany house blessing — the old custom of chalking the door (20 + C M B + the year) to ask God’s blessing on the home for the year.
Whatever prayers you keep, the heart of the season is gratitude and wonder. For the full library of Catholic prayers, see the prayer library in Confess.
Frequently asked
How long is the Christmas season in the Catholic Church?
It runs from the evening of December 24 (Christmas Eve) until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Sunday after the Epiphany — usually the second week of January. Christmas is a whole season, not just December 25.
What are the twelve days of Christmas?
The days from Christmas Day to the Epiphany (traditionally January 6), celebrating the birth of Christ and culminating in his manifestation to the Magi. They include the feasts of the Holy Family and, on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
What is Epiphany?
Epiphany (January 6, or the nearby Sunday) celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the nations, represented by the Magi who came to worship the newborn King. It is one of the oldest and greatest feasts of the Church year.
Should I go to confession at Christmas?
The strong push for confession comes in Advent, so that you arrive at Christmas already prepared. During the Christmas season itself the mood is celebratory; but confession is always available and always fruitful, and there is no wrong time to return to it.
Confess. follows the liturgical season automatically — the right color, today’s Gospel, the saint of the day, and a season-aware examination of conscience — so the whole year of grace is on your phone. Free, on-device, no account.
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