December is a delightful month. Of course, the weather in Arkansas can be a little nippy. But I delight in the lights, music and generous spirit of goodwill that seems to be contagious this month.
For Christians, of course, we are preparing for the annual Feast of the Nativity; that's the official name for Christmas. For centuries in Western Christianity, Christmas was a season of 12 days (like the song says), beginning Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (Dec. 25) and concluding with Twelfth Night, either Jan. 5 or 6 depending on your tradition of counting. Jan. 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, when we celebrate the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles and tell the story of the visit of the Magi to Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem.
In Eastern Orthodox traditions, festivities begin in the evening of Christmas Eve, observed on Jan. 6. Watch for reports from Ukraine. The difference in dates hearkens back to calendars. The Orthodox generally follow the older Julian Calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE. The Western church adopted the Gregorian Calendar of Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
All year long, the Episcopal Church follows the seasons of the ancient church year tradition. It can be a bit awkward and counter-cultural. Traditionally, most of December is in the season of Advent, a word that means "coming." It is a season of anticipation and preparation for the coming of Christ. It focuses on various prophecies of Christ and on the figures of John the Baptist and of Mary -- John as the forerunner of Jesus, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. I like to use the phrase, "It is Advent, and the Church is pregnant."
Advent is a pretty quiet, reflective season. We don't sing Christmas carols during Advent. We save them for Christmas Eve through the Twelve Days. "O come, O come Emmanuel" is probably the best-known Advent hymn.
This Advent custom has been a problem for our Sunday evening Eucharist in the women's prison. Most of the women attending were brought up in churches where Christmas music adorns their December worship. That's what they miss. So we adapt. This year, I sang my first church Christmas carols in jail.
Advent is also something of a issue for us at home. The culture celebrates Christmas starting immediately after Thanksgiving. Some families find it easier just to go along with the culture and start the decorating. That's what our kids wanted us to do. Here's how we found a compromise.
We put up the tree some time in December. We hang only white or clear religious ornaments. We string white lights and colored lights, but we only turn on the white lights. Then, on the night of Christmas Eve, we also turn on the colored lights, and we bring out the colorful ornaments to hang the next day. We keep the colorful tree burning for the full 12 days. (It used to bother me to see discarded trees at the curb on Dec. 26.)
I am so glad that other religious traditions have their December holidays. The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah (Dec. 18-26 this year) celebrates the recovery of Jerusalem and rededication of the Temple in 164 BCE. It is a Festival of Lights lasting eight days and nights, with candles and special foods and songs. I heard U.S. soldiers deployed around the world singing Hanukkah songs as part of the PBS NewsHour the other night. Lovely.
Kwanzaa celebrates African history and culture from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Kwanzaa was introduced in 1966 when activist Maulana Karenga brought to us African harvest festival traditions as an opportunity for African-Americans to celebrate themselves and their history.
Many Buddhists celebrate Bohdi Day on Dec. 8 honoring the day of the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama under the Bohdi Tree, the "tree of awakening."
The Solstice on Dec. 21 has been a holy day from pre-historic times. It is the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. Many Indigenous people have ancient Solstice celebrations. Germanic peoples celebrated Yule and gave us traditions such as the Yule log, feasting and singing. The Christmas tree, mistletoe, holly and fruitcake are among other customs we learned from the sacred celebrations of other peoples.
For me, the midnight Mass of Christmas Eve is the season's highlight -- the Christ-Mass. It always leaves me with a universal wish of peace and goodwill to all.
However you celebrate, may you and yours have a holy and joyous December.