Every year, almost without fail, I notice the same feeling settle in around December 26th.
The tree comes down. The lights are turned off. The music stops. And suddenly, Christmas feels… over.
This year especially, I’ve heard so many of my friends and neighbors express the same thing: Exhaustion from rushing to take Christmas down. A strange sadness now that the excitement and anticipation is gone.
But here’s something I learned recently that completely changed the way I experience Christmas:
Historically, Christmas doesn’t end on Christmas Day. It begins there.
Advent: The Sacred Lead-Up to Christmas
In traditional Christianity, the weeks before Christmas were never meant to be Christmas themselves.
They were Advent.
Advent is a season of:
- Waiting
- Preparing
- Watching
- Making room
It is intentionally quieter and more restrained. Less celebration, more anticipation.
Advent asks us to slow down and orient our hearts toward Christ– so that when Christmas finally arrives, it feels truly holy.
This makes perfect sense when we remember that Advent is the preparation, and Christmas is the feast.
When Christmas is treated as something that begins on December 25th and continues afterward, the whole season suddenly makes sense:
- Advent leads us to Christ
- Christmas allows us to live with Him
The Real 12 Days of Christmas
Traditionally, the 12 Days of Christmas are not the days leading up to Christmas, but the days after:
- Christmas Day (December 25) begins the celebration
- The season continues quietly and joyfully
- It concludes on January 6, known as Epiphany or Three Kings Day
For centuries, Christians understood that something as sacred as the birth of Christ was not meant to be rushed through in a single day. Instead, it unfolded slowly– like a story meant to be lived in, not checked off a list.
Christmas was never meant to be over by December 26.
Why We Feel So Drained When Christmas Ends Abruptly
In modern American culture, we often treat Christmas as the finish line:
- Everything must be done by December 25
- The magic peaks and then drops
- Decorations come down immediately
- Normal life resumes at full speed
This sudden shift can feel jarring– especially for children, but also for adults. Our nervous systems don’t transition well from weeks of anticipation straight into emptiness and cleanup.
Historically, families did the opposite.
They rested into Christmas.
A More Ancient (and Gentle) Rhythm
In traditional Christian homes, the days after Christmas were often quieter than the weeks before it:
- Decorations stayed up
- Small gifts were shared slowly instead of all at once
- Candles were lit nightly
- Carols were sung in the evenings
- Simple meals were shared
- Neighbors visited one another
- The Nativity story was told slowly, over time
Rather than rushing toward Christmas, families lingered with it.
This slower rhythm gave space for joy to settle instead of spike and disappear.
The Story That Unfolds After Christmas Day
Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Christ– but the days that follow allow us to live with that miracle.
These days traditionally reflect:
- Mary pondering in her heart
- The Holy Family in quiet obscurity
- The world gradually becoming aware that something has changed
- Light beginning to spread outward
On January 6 (Epiphany), the season culminates with the story of the wisemen– symbolizing Christ being revealed to all nations, not just those who were present at His birth.
Rather than “Christmas being over,” Epiphany represents Christmas fulfilling its purpose.
The Waldorf Nativity: Watching the Story Unfold
In many Waldorf-inspired homes, this unfolding is made visible through the Nativity itself.
During Advent, the stable is prepared, Mary and Joseph arrive, and the Christ Child is placed in the manger on Christmas Day. But the wisemen -the Magi- begin far away.
Each day of Christmas, they are moved just a little closer.
- Slowly
- Reverently
- Day by day.
Until finally, on January 6th, they reach the stable.
This quiet, visual rhythm teaches children (and reminds adults) that:
- Revelation takes time
- Truth is approached gradually
- Light is followed step by step
It is a beautiful reflection of how faith itself often grows.
A Waldorf-Inspired Understanding of the Season
In Waldorf education, the days between Christmas and Epiphany are often called a threshold time— a gentle, inward season meant for rest, reflection, and warmth (which also ties nicely into the celebration of the New Year, which occurs in the middle of the 12 Days of Christmas).
Rather than filling these days with activities, families are encouraged to:
- Keep rhythms soft
- Limit noise and busyness
- Spend time by candlelight
- Read, sing, and rest
- Let the meaning of Christmas sink deeply
This approach honors both children’s emotional needs and adults’ longing for peace.
A Perspective from/for an LDS Home
Nothing about observing the 12 Days of Christmas requires Catholic practice or theology (although if you are Catholic that is obviously a beautiful and traditional way to celebrate it).
At its heart, this tradition is about:
- Honoring Christ
- Allowing joy to unfold over time
- Recognizing that light spreads gradually
- Living the Gospel in the home
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we already understand that revelation comes line upon line. That testimony grows. That Christ is made known personally, over time.
In that sense, Epiphany can be understood simply as Christ being revealed— in our hearts, our homes and our lives.
What This Might Look Like in Your Own Home
Living the 12 Days of Christmas doesn’t require adding more to your plate.
It can be as simple as:
- Leaving decorations up until January 6
- Lighting a candle each evening
- Singing one carol a night
- Reading a verse of scripture
- Sharing one moment of gratitude
- Ending the day calmly
When Christmas is allowed to continue, it becomes something that nourishes rather than depletes.
Taking Christmas Down Without Sadness
When decorations are finally put away– traditionally on or after January 6th– it doesn’t feel like loss.
It feels like completion.
Instead of “Christmas is over,” the message becomes: “Christmas has done its work, and now it sends us forward.”
If you are feeling tired, sad, or hollow after Christmas just remember:
That feeling isn’t a personal failure.
It’s a cultural rhythm that rushes joy and cuts it short.
- You’re allowed to slow down.
- You’re allowed to keep the lights on a little longer.
- You’re allowed to let Christmas linger.
Historically, spiritually, and humanly– that’s how it was meant to be.
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