From Our Pastor, Rev. Gloria Smith

January 2022

On Sunday, December 26th, many of you will collapse on the sofa and be relieved that you made it through another Christmas and swearing you will be better prepared next year. As they say on social media – LOL (Laugh Out Loud). I just asked, how many times have you said these words to yourself.

It is interesting to ponder how the contemporary Celebration of Christmas moved from beginning on Christmas Eve at midnight to beginning at Thanksgiving. I am sure someone has done a study but not me. It would mean studying not only contemporary culture to the power of marketing departments in commercial business.

Christmas was not important to ancient Christians which celebrated only Easter. During the Christian Council of Tours in 547, Church leaders “proclaimed the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany (traditionally 6 January) as a sacred and festive season, and established the duty of Advent fasting in preparation for the feast” (Fr. Francis X. Weiser). https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7399

The celebration of Christmas continued to be altered by generations of Christians over time. It was 100 years post Middle Ages that some of the Christmas traditions we know began to emerge. Forms of the traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Service we know began to appear. Prior to attending Christmas Eve services, families would light the Yule Log that would burn each night until January 6th. It represented the light of the Christ Child coming into the world.

In North America, Christmas Eve was a time of creating Christmas wreaths of greenery and fruit which would hang on the doors of homes. The greenery would hang until the morning of January 6th, where it would be removed and the family would partake in a King Cake. In Puritan ruled areas, it was forbidden to recognize or celebrate Christmas in any manner. Christians in these areas continue to operate on Christmas Day as they would on any other day except Sunday.

For all Christians, since the Middle Ages, their daily work continued from December 26th to January 6th. In the evenings, time was reserved to celebrate with family and friends through meals and merriment. The day may be recognized by the lighting of a candle. In the Catholic and Anglican Churches, each day is a celebration of a specific Saint.

Christmas Eve was a time to prepare for the birth of Jesus followed by a feast of 12 days to celebrate the life of child. The celebration ends on January 6th which commemorates to arrival of the Wise Men (magi).  January 6th also marks Epiphany. Epiphany is the celebration of gentiles recognizing the baby Jesus as the Messiah and King to Come. In contemporary Protestantism, the first Sunday following January 1st., is celebrated as Epiphany Sunday.

It has been determined by historian that the traditional “Twelve Days of Christmas” song does not have anything to do with Christianity. The earliest known version was written for a a children’s book called Mirth With-out Mischief, in the 1770s. It was written by a secular poet as a game of memory for children and adults. It was not set to music until 1909. It became very popular, so the church sought a way of making the song more acceptable and created a religious meaning for each gift.

So, as we look toward the beginning of the new year, I wish you a Merry Christmas over the next 11 days. Find a way to be happy and celebrate each day to remember the great gift given to us. Also, in the best secular traditions, I also wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Blessings, Rev. Gloria