Reclaiming the 12 Days of Christmas

Simple Ideas to Celebrate the Season All the Way to Epiphany

Christmas is not just a day, it’s a season! Specifically, I’m talking about the Christmas season as the twelve days leading up to Epiphany (January 6).

Think of it this way: Advent is the season of preparation, and Christmas is the season of celebration. In Advent, we prepare out hearts for the arrival of Christ and the eventual return of Christ.

And then, in the culmination of the Christmas celebration, Epiphany Day, marks the “day of light” and commemorates the Magi visiting the Christ Child with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (even though, of course, historically they were separated from a much greater length of time than thirteen days).  

As a result, in some cultures, gift-giving extends all thirteen days of Christmas, while others open presents only on Christmas Eve or Day, or on January 5th or 6th.

We probably know “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as a traditional song about a series of gifts (most of which are birds, oddly enough). But I want to reclaim the Twelve Days of Christmas, to celebrate the arrival of our True Love and the greatest gift of all– God’s gift of Jesus, His Son.

So then, if we consider that Christmas is not just an event but a season, here are twelve simple ideas to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, and extend your celebration all the way through January 6th, with a focus on Christ.

1. On the first day of Christmas, December 25 – Jesus’ birthday; focus on the true love of Jesus, lead the birth announcements and celebrate His birth. Have a birthday party for Jesus!  

2. On the second day of Christmas, December 26 – Review the prophecies that point to and are fulfilled in Jesus; thank God for His Word; His revelation in Creation and through the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and fully and finally through Jesus Christ His Son.

3. On the third day of Christmas, December 27 – Have a silent night.

4. On the fourth day of Christmas, December 28 – Pray over your Christmas cards or the posts of your people on social media.

5. On the fifth day of Christmas, December 29 – Consider your giving and God’s ROI for 2025. As in, how have you used your time, talents and treasure this year, and how might He be asking you to make addition gifts before the end of the year?

6. On the sixth day of Christmas, December 30 – Record your aha moments and divine appointments from 2025. Christmas can be a time of important moments you do not want to forget– a quiet moment with a relative may remind you of the importance of family, a worship service may give you new insight into how to live as a follower of Jesus or a frustrating experience in a store may encourage you to be more patient. Actually write those insights some place so you can return in the weeks and months ahead for a reminder of how God has worked in your life. 

7. On the seventh day of Christmas, December 31–  Sabbath; rest; review; recommit. What would it look like for you to give God a day of Sabbath during the Season? Could you find a day to take rest with God?

8. On the eighth day of Christmas, January 1 – Begin a faithful practice. Not a resolution so much as a commitment to a discipleship practice such as prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, fasting, Sabbath, no phone zone and quiet hours. 

9. On the ninth day of Christmas, January 2 – travel by a different route. The Christmas story contains several journeys — Mary visits Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph travel to be taxed, the Wise Men follow the star to Bethlehem, and Jesus and his family move to Egypt when King Herod orders the slaughter of baby boys. Many of us go on special journeys over Christmas, in addition to the time we spend in the car every day. Consider traveling by a different route and see what God reveals.

10. On the tenth day of Christmas, January 3 – be a person of peace. Sow peace in your homes, relationships with community.

11. On the 11^th day of Christmas, January 4 – pray for the persecuted. Hold up a globe or map of the world and pray for the persecuted all the day of the world.

12. On the 12^th day of Christmas, January 5 – unsubscribe. Spend a day purging and unsubscribing from the uneccessary or distracting.

13. January 6, Epiphany– turn off all the lights and light a candle. Consider the star and the Magi. Consider Daniel and his faithfulness in the midst of unfaithful days. For because of Daniel’s faithful witness, that all those years later, the Magi knew to be looking for a star. The Wise Men in the far off land knew that it was a sign of the coming of the King of Kings, the King of Jews. This is a declaration that the good news of great joy is for all people! Now, friends, what does it look like for you and me to go out in the world, recipients of this good news, to go and be shiny!