Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled Himself to share our humanity.

Liturgy of the Hours, Antiphon I of Evening Prayer for Jan. 1
 

Christmas Season

Seasonal color: White, although gold may be substituted

Ahhhh! It's finally here - Christmas. Hopefully you've had a relaxing, revitalizing Advent so you're ready for the glory of this season. If not, don't fear, there's still plenty of hope. Despite the best preparation, the obligations of Christmas Day may still cause stress. Keeping the focus on Christ can make all the difference.

The celebration of the Christmas season can be simple or elaborate, it's up to you. The goal is to have fun and celebrate the young life of Jesus and the lives of inspirational saints for the whole twelve days. Some of these steps may be difficult if you are celebrating the holidays in someone else's home. If you feel comfortable approaching others about your wish to celebrate Christ during Christmas, then share these with everyone. If you do not feel comfortable with this approach, do what you can. Simply sharing the simple message of Christ with your own family is a great start. Most importantly, don't force anything on those who are not ready or willing to accept the message. Your family and friends may notice the change that has taken place in your family as you really live your faith. Don't be surprised if they ask what has made that difference. God often touches the lives of people in ways they least expect!

If you never got around to putting up and Advent wreath, or you don't have 4 white or gold candles, just put your white candle in your regular liturgical season candle holder.

This is one of our family favorites. On Christmas Eve our Nativity scene has Mary and Joseph. On Christmas Day we place the Baby Jesus in his place of honor, and the Wise Men  quite a distance away. Each day of the Christmas season we move the Wise Men closer to the Nativity scene until, on the feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6) they arrive to give Jesus their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This simple activity is a fun, easy way to keep the focus on the entire season of Christmas.

You can be as simple or as fancy as you want with this. Some families exchange a simple gift each day. Other just light the Christmas candles and mention why the day is special. For more detailed information, click here. The following should give you a start with the festivities:

• December 26 - The feast of St. Stephen (the first Christian martyr)

• December 27 - The feast of St. John the Evangelist

• December 28 - The feast of the Holy Innocents (babies killed by order of Herod, who intended to kill the Infant Jesus)

• December 29 - The feast of St. Thomas Becket

• December 30 - Time for a quiet day!

• December 31 - The feast of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph)

• January 1 - The feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

• January 2 - The feast of Saint Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen

• January 3 - The feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

• January 4 - The feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

• January 5 - The feast of St. John Neumann

• January 6 - The Epiphany of the Lord - the celebration of the arrival of the Three Kings to visit the Infant Jesus (Your parish may celebrate this feast on the nearest Sunday so the whole community can participate.)

We've traded in our Christmas party (which always happened well before Christmas) for an Epiphany party. Most people are exhausted after a hectic Christmas season, and an Epiphany party prevents those dark winter doldrums. It also reminds people that the Christmas season did not end on December 25th!

A few party suggestions:

• A cake baked with surprises inside. A cake baked in a tube pan (to resemble a crown) is traditional, but we prefer cupcakes. Either way, put 3 beans in the batter, then bake the cake normally. (We always use black-eyed peas because my husband is from the South, which is a much better choice than the sauerkraut tradition from my family!)

• Three crowns - These can be homemade or inexpensive toy crowns. The three who get the piece of cake or cupcake with the hidden beans get to wear the crown. Anyone who does not get to wear the crown gets the special reminder of God's love: Blessed are they who do not see yet still believe. More than three crowns works, too, of course. The Bible never says there were exactly three kings. That number is part of legend.

• Party favors: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Okay, not actually those three gifts. I usually get gold-foil wrapped chocolate candies, a scented candle, and lip balm. The gold is the symbol of Christ's kingship, the incense is the symbol of a prophet, and the myrrh is a symbol of death, because it was a balm used for burial.

• A re-telling of the Epiphany story - children can put on a play, parents can read or tell the story, but it is always wonderful to explain the reason for the celebration. Astrologers, who were not actually kings, noticed a powerful and rare configuration of the stars. Only these scholars recognized this amazing sight, so it is no wonder the average person in Bethlehem did not notice a brilliant star.  These astrologers, who were Gentiles, not Jews, welcomed the Savior, showing that Jesus came to unite and save everyone.