In the Northern Hemisphere, during the last week of December and the first weeks of January, the days every-so-slowly begin to lengthen. That is when the church keeps Christmas.

In these merry days we Christians welcome our Lord, who comes as a tiny child, in mercy and gentleness and compassion. But make no mistake. This newborn is our God and Lord, our savior and our judge. And so we sing out loud, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”

To announce God’s epiphany, we give gifts and greetings. We drive away the winter with lights and flowers. We gather around the shining tree of life, and we open our homes to every guest.

On the day after December 25, the after-Christmas sales begin, as if Christmas was over. But it’s not over. It’s just begun! We Christians have many days to keep! There’s the feast of Stephen, when “Good King Wenceslas looked out.” There’s St. John’s Day, when people toast each other’s good health. There’s the feast of the Holy Innocents, the sad day of the season.

Christmas time includes the New Year celebration, when we ring out troubles and ring in blessings. Then there’s Epiphany, the merriest day of our merry Christmastime, when we follow a star.

The Christmas season ends on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Usually that falls on the second Sunday in January. But the season echoes again on February 2, Candlemas, when we praise Christ, the light of the world. Think how much we’d miss if we ended Christmas on December 25.

(Companion to the Calendar: A Guide to the Saints and Mysteries of the Christian Calendar by Mary Ellen Hynes)