Back when "The 12 Days of Christmas" were more formally observed, today would be the third day.
The conventional celebratory gift from the old English carol was, of course, three French hens. For those who enjoy trivia, legend has it that the song was written with hidden meanings in each day's gift for young Catholics, as the Church of England in medieval times forbade the open practice of Catholicism. The trio of hens represented faith, hope and love.
The meanings of the other day numbers: two Testaments (Old and New), four gospels, five books of the Old Testament, six days of creation, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, eight beatitudes, nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, Ten Commandments, 11 faithful apostles and 12 points of belief in the Apostle's Creed. The partridge, as a bird willing to sacrifice its life to protect its young, represented Jesus.
The point is that, traditionally, the "Holiday Season" didn't end with Christmas. Dec. 25 was the start of a 12-day festival that ended with Jan. 5, the eve of the Epiphany. Traditionalists still host "Twelfth Night" parties, and in some circles it's still bad luck to leave Christmas decorations up past that date.
The influence of consumerism and Santa's single-night delivery have eroded the concept here in America, but I think it's healthy to retain a little of the extended festivities. A family friend's annual Christmas party will continue our merrymaking tonight.
Celebrating beyond Dec. 25 allows for additional reflection and meditation as well, which can be crowded out by the season's commercial bustle. In the spirit of a broader holiday observance, and using the borrowed wording of a favorite poet: How do we celebrate thee, Christmas? Let us count the ways.
We celebrate to honor Christ. One need not believe in Jesus Christ's divinity in order to respect his unparalleled influence on humankind. The baby born in Bethlehem changed the course of history in ways no other child ever has. His story (birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection) dominated Western civilization and has spread around the globe.
After 20 centuries, it retains incontestable prominence. Christianity is the largest religion in the world, and reported as the majority religion in 117 nations. In 32 countries, more than 90 percent of the population identify themselves as Christians.
Jesus Christ was a world-changer of inimitable magnitude. For a more eloquent assertion of this reality, read "One Solitary Life" from the Dec. 25 editorial page of this paper.
We celebrate love. The apostle John describes the first Christmas as an act of deepest love: "For God so loved the world ..." Over the many centuries, Christmastide celebrants have put aside petty differences and disagreements for the greater good of the season. Families unite and reunite by burying hatchets each Christmas, recognized for millennia as a cause bigger than any individual, and codified by governments galore (163 at last count) as an observed public holiday.
Among the only 13 countries in which Christmas is neither observed as an important date or declared a public holiday is a short list of seriously troubled states, including Afghanistan, North Korea, Libya and Somalia.
In a modern culture that sensationalizes romantic love, Christmas re-centers our minds on sacrificial love that satisfies others ahead of ourselves.
We celebrate giving. The second clause in John 3:16 set the precedent for gifts at Christmas: "... that He gave his only begotten Son." The blessing gained by giving is not only biblically rooted, but universally recognized for its moral virtue. Later on in the Christmas story, the Magi brought gifts to the Christ child, and during the short years of his ministry, Jesus modeled the giving of grace.
The St. Nicholas tale, which inspired our modern Santa Claus, is at its essence a story of gifting. The ageless axiom persists because of its core actuality; we revere and revel in the natural truth that it is indeed better to give than to receive.
We celebrate togetherness. Gathering figures from the get-go in the Christmas story, Luke's Gospel describes the Roman census which ordered the people of Israel to return to the town of their birth to register for taxation. The gathering at Bethlehem was so great that all lodging capacity was famously exhausted.
And from the moment the Christ child was placed in the manger, the grand miracle (as C.S. Lewis described the incarnation) brought people together. First were the shepherds, directed by angels. Then came the Wise Men who followed the star. The gospel accounts are full of folks gathering around the figure of Jesus.
Children are too young and distracted to understand the true gift of family togetherness. But for parents and grandparents, being together for a day or several days at Christmas is a priceless present, a heartwarming bounty that lasts long past the post-holiday farewells that scatter generations again.
We celebrate childhood. Every adult was once a child, and experiences and perceptions from that period shape us all. Memories from childhood are often among our most precious recollections, and Christmas remembrances can prove particularly enduring.
May you stretch the season, and its many joys, this year.
Dana D. Kelley is a freelance writer from Jonesboro.