Anything special with Christmas and New Years?

[USMC_Convert]

So I remember listening to a Catholic lighthouse CD on Divine Mercy and they talked about the special relationship between Easter Sunday and Divine Mercy Sunday.

They also mentioned the same kind of thing between Christmas and New Years, so the question is, what is the special relationship and do you do anything special like Divine Mercy Sunday? In other words what should I be doing to maximize Christmas and New Years?

 

[angeltime]

Pax et Bonum! I like to think of St Francis during Christmas along with the Holy Family of course, but Francis because he was the one who started the Creche scene. Also, January 1st is the Feast of the Holy Mother of God. I find this is a very special time to pray, contemplate either with Adoration or simply with the Creche and Tabernacle nearby. A special time to give thanks for all we have in Jesus, our Saviour. I have spent my New Years Eve in the Church having quiet prayer time. It is quite an experience after all the hustle bustle. “Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!” angeltime

 

[twf]

Its not that there’s a connection between Christmas and New Years, rather January 1, on the Church’s liturgical calendar, is the feast of Mary, Mother of God. This feast is the Octave (eighth day) of Christmas. In the Roman tradition, the Church celebrated many Octaves historically - liturgical periods where a major feast is extended for eight days. In the current Novus Ordo calendar there are only two left: Christmas and Easter. Both feasts are extended for eight full days… Divine Mercy is the Octave of Easter and Mary, Mother of God is the Octave of Christmas.

Incidentally, Christmas (Dec 25) and Mary, Mother of God (Jan 1), are the only two holy days of obligation in Canada…so Mary, Mother of God holds a special place in the lives of Canadian Catholics.