Twelve Days of Christmas

[MissMittens]

Just when did the Twelve Days of Christmas stop being celbrated/observed in the US? Were they observed in the US?

Seems that thanks to Corporate America, most people think that Christmas ENDS on Dec 25th, and not that it begins with Christmas Day.

It's not uncommon to hear "Merry Christmas" through New Year's Day in other places. Just wondering if that was the same here once. Certainly wasn't during my living memory.

 

[dhermann1]

I, for one, still try to observe it. Noting irks me more than seeing people put up their Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving, and toss them out the day after Christmas. A true traditional tree would be put up on Christmas Eve, and taken down on Jan. 6th, after the Feast of the Three Kings.

 

[Connery]

Just when did the Twelve Days of Christmas stop being celbrated/observed in the US? Were they observed in the US?

Seems that thanks to Corporate America, most people think that Christmas ENDS on Dec 25th, and not that it begins with Christmas Day.

It's not uncommon to hear "Merry Christmas" through New Year's Day in other places. Just wondering if that was the same here once. Certainly wasn't during my living memory.

I enjoy the season and Christmas is about the celebration of spirit and joy, amongst other things. I am listening to Christmas music as I am writing this. The tree, the celebratory food and the good times are part of the many days that comprise my Christmas season.

 

[Kirk H.]

We too celebrate it. For the past several years we have done the 12 days of Christmas for our daughter. Santa brings the big stuff on Christmas Eve and then we give her something else on each day of the 12 days. I enjoy the season a lot more this way.

 

[John in Covina]

The secular public only sees the holiday as a gift exchange and over time the sales by the stores have taken over the definition of the Holiday. I saw Christmas items being brought out at about Halloween in a number of stores. We still go thru the penitential season of Advent at church so we always feel that the rest of society is jumping the gun on this. Jan 6 is Epiphany for our litugical calendar.

 

[Espee]

There's often a story in the paper, or on TV, focusing on an Orthodox church celebration on January 6th. And some southern California school teachers say a lot of their students are sure to miss the typical January 2nd resumption of classes. I've heard this ascribed to visiting family in Mexico, straight on through the 6th.
To most everybody else, it's just a song.

 

[John in Covina]

I am not sure on this but I believe there are some Orthodox churches that did not go with the (Julian) calendar change and their Liturgical calendar is 2 weeks behind everyone else.

 

[dhermann1]

My local New York City classical music station, WQXR, has a streaming channel that is carrying all classical Christmas music for the full season, through Jan. 6th. It's at www.wqxr.org .

 

[Lights]

The secular public only sees the holiday as a gift exchange and over time the sales by the stores have taken over the definition of the Holiday. I saw Christmas items being brought out at about Halloween in a number of stores. We still go thru the penitential season of Advent at church so we always feel that the rest of society is jumping the gun on this. Jan 6 is Epiphany for our litugical calendar.

+1!!

 

[Philip Adams]

We still go thru the penitential season of Advent at church so we always feel that the rest of society is jumping the gun on this. Jan 6 is Epiphany for our litugical calendar.

I've often thought I should make more out of the Advent season. Maybe this year will be the year.

My tree will def be up till the 6th.

 

[TraditionalFrog]

As an Orthodox Christian, I'm in the midst of observing "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" until Theophany (Epiphany) on the 19th. Some Orthodox now observe Christmas according to the Gregorian (civil) calendar on Dec 25th. Other Orthodox, namely the Russians and Serbs observe according the the traditional (Julian) calendar which is 14 days behind the Gregorian. In other words 25 Dec on the Julian is 7 Jan on the Gregorian.