Perhaps I am the only one who grew up thinking that the 12 Days of Christmas were the 12 days leading to Christmas. I thought that just as the song declares, that true love kept piling on the gifts until that final day ... CHRISTMAS itself, I suppose, when he/she REALLY PILED the gifts onto the beloved: Drummers, Pipers, Lords, Ladies, Maids, Ladies, Swans, Geese, Rings, Bird, Birds, MORE Birds, and One Tree! There ya' go ... the 12 Days of Christmas!
However, I was an "ecclesioligcal late bloomer"!
For instance, I did not know what Advent was until I was pastoring my first congregation and Mildred Haskell asked me after that first post-Thanksgiving Sunday, "Are you going to preach any Advent sermons?" I quickly responded to Mildred, "Tell me what Advent is and I will consider it." The next Sunday Mildred came prepared and handed me a sheet of paper explaining Advent; I have not neglected Advent since. I was 22 years young.
It was still years later (I cannot recall how many) that I learned that Christmas is not just a day but rather, Christmas is a Season of 12 days .... HA! the Season of Christmas starts on Christmas Day and ends on January 5th, the day before Epiphany, January 6th for us "Western" Christians: that last night is known as the Twelfth Night. There are those 12 Days of Christmas!
When I learned that Christmas is a 12-day Season, I told our girls, who were all home and young at the time, that we should start practicing the 12 days and give smaller gifts to one another across each of those days. No one ever accepted my offer.
How WONDERFUL to have learned that Christmas is not just a day but rather, nearly a fortnight (two-week) season in the yearly rhythm in the life of The Church! In fact, I enjoy the "season" to the point of listening for Christmas songs, even secular "Santa-type" stuff, after December 25th, but the world, and yes, most Christian stations, quickly set Christmas aside for regular "programming." So, since I like to hang onto most things - look at my desk, my carport, my garage, my closet, wherever, I like to hang onto this Season called Christmas a bit longer than some. Oh, we take down the lights and trees, we store the wrappings and put the gifts to use, but let's not "put away" Christmas quite so quickly.
My concern is that when we "put Christmas away" so quickly that we also skim over the meaning, the purpose, the Person of Christmas ... JESUS! As Christians, if we put away Jesus or skim over Him so quickly, we are apt to completely overlook Him and miss it all. After all, Jesus did say that many called Him "Lord, Lord" and even did good things in His Name but He never knew them; there was no relationship, just activity. So, I want to hang onto Jesus ... and CHRISTmas a bit longer than I did in my younger years.
As I have "poetically" stated, to a horrible cadence, when we take "Christ" out of "Christmas," we only have a "mas" or a "mess", as I often enunciate.
As I type, the 5th Day of Christmas is coming to a close. As the holiday diddy croons:
On the 5th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
FIIIIIVE GO-OLD RINGS!
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two trutle doves,
and a partridge in a pear tree!
The GIFT of Christmas (JESUS) keeps giving MUCH MORE than ONCE. He keeps giving and giving and giving and giving because He is ever-present with those who have trusted Him, received Him, and believed in His Name. The celebration of His GREAT Gift of coming to dwell among us for while, dressing up in flesh, setting His Heavenly Glory aside, and living as one of us across those 33 or so years deserves WAY MORE than just a day and MUCH MORE than 12 days; He deserves a LIFETIME of celebration and following!