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Do not put Christmas away too soon -- keep the joy and the song going for the whole season.
- Mary Anna Vidakovich
Sing to the Lord: Devotions for Advent
[Nashville, Tenn.: The Upper Room, 1994, 83-84]
DECEMBER 25 IS ONLY THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISMTAS. The Christmas celebration continues for twelve days, after which we celebrate the arrival of the kings who followed the star to find the holy babe. The awaited event is here! Don't put away the celebration just yet, but instead, follow the Christmas journey all the way to Epiphany.
Every Christmas, a good friend of mine gives me a huge Christmas shopping bag filled with twelve smaller bags. Inside each small sack is a gift for me or for someone in my family (even the dog sometimes gets a gift). I'm grateful for this tradition of opening one gift each day of the twelve days of Christmas. This tradition reminds me to keep celebrating Christ's nativity all the way to Epiphany.
- Beth A. Richardson
Child of the Light: Walking through Advent and Christmas
CELEBRATE THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
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December 25: Memorize this verse: "A child has been born for us, a son given to us." Isaiah 9:6
December 26: Take five minutes to think about three things you enjoyed most about Christmas Day.
December 27: Gather good clothes and take them to your church or a family shelter.
December 28: Use the fronts of old Christmas cards to make thank-you cards for people who gave you gifts.
December 29: Sit down with your family and tell each other what you like about each other.
December 30: Write about one of your favorite Christmas memories. Pack it with the Christmas decorations. You can read it next year.
December 31: Take some time to think about your hopes for the next year.
January 1: Pray for people who are traveling.
January 2: Sit quietly and think about how you hope the world will be different next year.
January 3: Share Joy and Peace!
January 4: Cut out paper stars and put them in the windows of your home.
January 5: Read about the wise men's journey to find Jesus in Matthew 2:1-12.
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