Christmas Day inaugurates the great feast of Christmas and is the most important day of the twelve. But other feastdays during Christmastide help to deepen our experience of the season.
St. Stephen (Starnina, image credit)
December 26: St Stephen’s Day
The story of Stephen is found in Acts 6-7. Stephen was the first deacon, one of seven leaders chosen to care for the poor in the early Jerusalem church. He was also the first Christian martyr.
It’s customary on this day to serve others, especially those who may be overlooked or neglected, just as St. Stephen did. Mark this day by giving to the needy, volunteering with your church or local charity, and showing hospitality to neighbors.
December 27: Honoring St. John the Beloved
Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans observe December 27 by celebrating the life and example of John, the beloved disciple. St. John did not die a martyr. According to tradition, he lived a long life and cared for Mary, the mother of Jesus, in her latter years.
St. John gave us a simple yet profound teaching: “Beloved, let us love one another” (1 John 4:7). It’s customary on this day to drink a cup of mulled cider or wine called wassail (the word literally means “be healthy”). Thank God for the blessings of life and health, and drink a toast to one another in Christlike love.
On the blog
December 28: Remembering the “Holy Innocents”
Slaughter of the Innocents (Reni, image credit)
On December 28, we remember the children of Bethlehem so cruelly murdered by an evil tyrant desperately clinging to power. This is a grim day amidst the celebrations of Christmas, when death and birth stand side by side. It’s there to remind us, as Dorothy Day said, of “the closeness of joy and sorrow.”
Evil, injustice, and death still stalk our world. Mark this day by praying for victims of abuse, violence, and war – innocent lives snuffed out by persons abusing their power, women trapped in domestic violence, families fleeing tyranny and terrorism. Remember the promises that a redeeming God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah:
See, I am going to … gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back.... Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
(Jeremiah 31:7-14.) And remember the great hope of those who are in Christ Jesus: we look for the resurrection of the dead, for the New Creation, when “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” itself (1 Corinthians 15:26).
January 1: Feast of the Holy Name / New Year’s Day
Eight days after his birth, Jesus was circumcised and given his name, according to the law of Moses. This event is commemorated as the Feast of the Holy Name on January 1, the eighth day of Christmas. The lectionary and prayers for this feastday can be found here.
This day also marks the beginning of the secular new year. (Remember: the church celebrates its new year on the first Sunday of Advent.) Use January 1 to reminisce about old times and plan fun days in the year ahead. Thank God for his blessings, and do as Mary did: “treasuring up all these things, pondering them in your heart” (Luke 2:19).