Right now we are in the season of Advent. Christmas Day is the first day of the Christmas season. There are twelve days of Christmas, also referred to in some circles as the Twelve Holy Nights, that take place from December 25th to January 5th. This culminates in Epiphany on January 6th and is often marked as either Three Kings’ Day or The Baptism of Christ. (I found an interesting site with family activities for the Twelve Days of Christmas here: http://fullhomelydivinity.org/articles/Twelve%20Days%20of%20Christmas%20full%20page.htm , by the way).
This has always been a very special, inward, meditative time of year for me. You can read my back post about the Holy Nights here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/26/inner-work-for-the-holy-nights/ and here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/22/the-twelve-days-of-christmas/ and here from 2008: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/12/24/the-holy-nights/
I will also be offering a series of my favorite back posts during this special time to provide a parenting perspective and meditative focus for these nights. I like to carry a meditative theme or focus each year – in 2008 and 2009 I worked very hard with the idea of “being easy with myself” (being okay with not being perfect) and this past year I tried adding “letting go” to that. This year I will be focused on love; love for self, for family, for the world encompasses it all, don’t you think?
What will you be doing during the Twelve Days of Christmas? Do you have special things you would like to work on this year?
Many blessings,
Carrie
I will join you in your meditations on love. You are right, it encompasses everything.
Dear Carrie
You are such an inspiration. I am looking forward to Lynn Jericho’s meditations. I knew about it last year but wasn’t in the right space to do it. I like your idea about the meditative focus, I would like to focus on patience and joy.
Our advent season is looking so much different from last year – it made me realized how much I have grown and changed (with a lot of help from you) over the last year.
Thank you so much for this. It is very inspiring! My 4 year old daughter said today, “why is the Christmas tree still up? Christmas is over.” And I tried explaining that there were twelve days of Christmas, but it didn’t seem to make sense to her even though we sing that song and last year we celebrated Epiphany. I love the link you shared from full homely divinity. I wish I had all tof that digested so that I could live it and share it better now.
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