On Christmas Eve the young bagger at the grocery store said to me "Happy Holidays", and on the second day of Christmas a college boy in my family corrected me for saying "Merry Christmas!" to him in greeting even though Christmas was "over". The one got only the number right, the other only the name.
How quickly they forget, if they ever learned.
Christmas Day initiates Christmastide, which lasts nearly a fortnight, The Twelve Days of Christmas ending on January 5th, the day after which is The Epiphany of our Lord:
"In England in the Middle Ages, this period was one of continuous feasting and merrymaking, which climaxed on Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas season. In Tudor England, Twelfth Night itself was forever solidified in popular culture when William Shakespeare used it as the setting for one of his most famous stage plays, titled Twelfth Night. ... The early North American colonists brought their version of the Twelve Days over from England, and adapted them to their new country, adding their own variations over the years. For example, the modern-day Christmas wreath may have originated with these colonials. A homemade wreath would be fashioned from local greenery and fruits, if available, were added. Making the wreaths was one of the traditions of Christmas Eve; they would remain hung on each home's front door beginning on Christmas Night (1st night of Christmas) through Twelfth Night or Epiphany morning. As was already the tradition in their native England, all decorations would be taken down by Epiphany morning and the remainder of the edibles would be consumed. A special cake, the king cake, was also baked then for Epiphany."
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That's why every gift, every card and every greeting from a well-wisher during this time is on-time ... until January 6th.
On the third day of Christmas, I wish you a merry one!
On the third day of Christmas, I wish you a merry one!
