People can get really passionate when it comes to the "proper" date to take down Christmas decorations. I'm always amazed at folks who take down their decorations on December 26. Why so soon? Why not enjoy Christmastide, especially if you have some time off while the kids are home from school? After all, the 12 days of Christmas that we so love to sing about are not the 12 days leading up to Christmas, but instead they run from December 25 until January 5. In many traditions around the world, Christmas decorations stay up until at least the Day of Epiphany on January 6. (If you don't believe this, go to a Disney theme park in the first week of January and you'll be sure to see a Christmas parade!)
But wait—that's not all! There is a precedent for keeping your decorations up even later than Epiphany. In some Christian traditions, Christmas decorations stay up until Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation, a church year celebration held annually on February 2. Candlemas is the 40th day of Christmas and recalls when Jesus was presented by his parents in the Jerusalem temple, as prescribed by the Law of Moses. (If you turn in your Bible to Luke 2:22-40, you can read all about it.) And if you think it over, it kinda makes sense. If the season of Lent lasts for 40 days, and the period from Easter to Ascension is 40 days, then why not celebrate the birth of our Savior for 40 days, from December 25 through February 2?
But I admit it would be a hard sell for us to keep our Christmas decorations at McMurry Church in place until February 2. So on Sunday, January 18, we finally took down what was left of our seasonal decorations, most of which were in the Parlor. As folks were "striking the set" (to use an expression from the theatre), others were remarking that it's kind of sad to see the decorations come down. According to Michael Burke, taking down the decorations is his least favorite part of the season. Michael also likes the idea of keeping Christmas decorations up year-round. He told me, "Christmas is more than a season. It's a way of living."
As soon as I heard Michael say those words, I knew I needed to write about them. Christmas should be a way of living. We should be generous givers, not only during the month of December, but all year long. We should spread hope, peace, joy, and love not only during the season of Advent and Christmas, but also during the seasons of Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. We should be concerned about the least, the lost, the poor, the sick, the aged, the lonely, those who mourn, and so forth all 12 months of the year. "Peace on earth, goodwill to men" should be more than just a line from a song we sing during the holiday season, but something we commit our life's work toward achieving. And, most of all, we should be continually celebrating the birth of Jesus who came into this world to be our Savior.
I hope you'll join me in becoming a year-round "Christmas person." Just as we are "Easter people," Christians should also be "Christmas people." Christmas and Easter go hand-in-hand. Let's continue our Christmas celebrations, even now as we look ahead to Easter in a few months. See you in church.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Clayton