Themes and Traditions of Christmas

∙ Christmas Day and the Epiphany of the Lord are the two key days of the season. Between them and next in importance is the ancient feast of Mary Mother of God on New Year’s Day. The Sunday after Christmas, devoted to the Holy Family, is a quiet day to appropriate the Christmas mystery; the season tapers off towards the feast of the Baptism of the Lord which marks the transition to Ordinary Time. 

∙  Throughout the twelve days of Christmas until Epiphany, retain Christmas decorations, schedule Christmas carols, and encourage prayer before the crib.

∙  Look at using a seasonal psalm (for example, one of the psalms from Christmas Day).

∙  Be realistic: it is holiday time and people are away.

The season of Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and concludes with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  The major festivals within this period are:

• the Nativity of the Lord (25th December)
• the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
• Mary, the Holy Mother of God (1st January)
• the Epiphany of the Lord, and
• the Baptism of the Lord.

In addition the Nativity of the Lord is followed by an Octave that includes the feasts of:

• St Stephen, the First Martyr (26th December)
• St John, Apostle and Evangelist (27th December), and
• the Holy Innocents, Martyrs (28th December).

Liturgical features

Liturgical colour

The liturgical colour for the season is white, but red vestments are worn for the martyrs Stephen and the Holy Innocents.

Readings 

The major festivals of the season – the Holy Family, Mary, the Mother of God, the Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus – all have combinations of readings selected to shed light on the specific mystery being celebrated. 

Prefaces

There are three Prefaces for use during the Christmas season.  The first focusses on Christ the Light, the second on the restoration of all things in the Incarnation, and the third on the exchange in the Incarnation of the Word.  Any one of these may be chosen throughout this time, except on the feasts of the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, each of which has its own preface, and on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, when the first preface for the Blessed Virgin Mary is specified.

Music

Music for the season – acclamations, Mass settings, hymns and instrumental music – should be appropriately festive, though the holiday season may well mean that musicians and singers are in short supply.  It may be a challenge, but singing the angelic hymn “Glory to God” should be a feature of the Sunday Eucharist throughout the season. 

The customary three-fold judgement for the choice of music remains in place: does each piece satisfy the proper liturgical, musical and pastoral criteria?  This applies particularly to carols during the Mass.  Are they appropriate for the liturgical action?  Are they of sufficient musical quality?  Will they engage the assembly readily in song, given that some of them may have been constantly in commercial play for months before Christmas?

Many parishes have carol singing on Christmas Eve, especially in the lead-up to family Masses.  This can engage the assembly in the spirit of the night and prepare them for participation in the liturgy itself.

Environment

The liturgical setting for the Christmas season and its feasts should evoke a spirit of festive joy.  While the prevailing colour of the season is white, arrangements of flowers could boldly incorporate its secondary colour, red.  Enough needs to be done to celebrate the season visually, provided it complements and does not overwhelm the primary symbols of the liturgy or distract from the action of the celebration.

Christmas candle

Some parishes may have the custom of replacing with four candles of the Advent wreath with a single white candle to mark the birth of Christ.  This should be of modest size to ensure that it is not confused with the paschal candle and its unique significance.  If the wreath is so modified, it should still be removed by the end of Christmas Day.

Christmas tree

The Book of Blessings contains an Order of Blessing for a Christmas tree.  The introduction states that if a tree is to be set up in church this should take place only just before Christmas.  It should be decorated simply and appropriately and placed where it does not divert from or interfere with the liturgical action.

Image Attribution - Magi, Ravenna, Nina-no