When does Christmas end?

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threeangels

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I’m trying to figure out when to wrap up our family’s Christmas celebration, and I’m confused. We celebrated Epiphany this past Sunday, but I thought Epiphany was the 12th day of Christmas, Jan. 6. But even then, my Catholic calendar lists Jan. 7 as a Christmas weekday. ??? We were going to bless the house, make king cake, etc., on Epiphany (Thursday?), then take down the decorations, but now I can’t figure out which day to do this on.

Can anyone help me make sense of this? And/or share when and how your family ends the Christmas season? Thanks! 🙂
 
Just look at the liturgical calendar and see when the next season will start. I would say that it ends on the feast of the baptism of Jesus. The following week is the first week of ordinary time.

godweb.org/catholic_calendar.htm
 
So then Epiphany actually is the 6th, but we just recognize it the previous Sunday at Mass? And Epiphany is not the end of the Christmas season?
 
threeangels said:
So then Epiphany actually is the 6th, but we just recognize it the previous Sunday at Mass? And Epiphany is not the end of the Christmas season?
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Epiphany is on the 6th, but the Bishops can anticipate it to the closest Sunday. A season does not have to start or end with a Sunday. Just look at Lent with Ash Wednesday. The end of the Christmas Season will coincide with the beginning of Ordinary Time on January 10.
 
Christmas day is celebrated for the “octave” of Christmas, eight days. Easter is also celebrated for 8 days.

The season of Christmas ends after evening prayer, (Vespers in the Liturgy of the Hours) on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
 
Judging from some store displays, Christmas ended on 12/26. We’re now in the season of Valentine 😉
 
Cristiano said:
Just look at the liturgical calendar and see when the next season will start. I would say that it ends on the feast of the baptism of Jesus. The following week is the first week of ordinary time.

godweb.org/catholic_calendar.htm
Click to expand...
What adds to the confusion is the fact that the Sunday after the the feast of the baptism of Jesus is reckoned “The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time,” because it is the Sunday of the second week in Ordinary Time. There is no “First Sunday in Ordinary Time.”
 
Erich said:
What adds to the confusion is the fact that the Sunday after the the feast of the baptism of Jesus is reckoned “The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time,” because it is the Sunday of the second week in Ordinary Time. There is no “First Sunday in Ordinary Time.”
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I know that got me confused for a minute! 🙂
 
Thank you for all the replies! So is there anything Catholic about the “12 days of Christmas” (or did this phrase perhaps originate elsewhere)? If Epiphany doesn’t end the season, then Christmas is more than 12 days. I think that’s what really threw me.
 
Actually, Christmas officially ends on February 2nd, when Jesus is presented in the temple.
 
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