The Joy of 'Twixt-Mas'- A blog
So we’ve reached ‘Twixtmas’ the magical space between Christmas and New Year. No one knows what day it is, or when the bins next go out, you’re quickly running out of new and innovative turkey recipes and your body is approximately 90% cheese.
But here’s the twist: it’s still Christmas. Yes, contrary to popular belief, Christmas isn’t just one frantic day of wrapping paper carnage and awkward cracker jokes. In the Christian calendar, Christmas is a season. Specifically, it’s 12 days long, stretching from December 25th to January 5th, the eve of Epiphany.
If you feel like this needs a soundtrack, let me suggest a classic: “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” OK, so your true love may not have sent you a partridge in a pear tree, but there’s still time! More importantly, there’s time to embrace the continued celebration of Christ’s birth.
Let’s not forget the real reason for the season: the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus. Luke 2:10-11 tells us, "The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.'
Notice the words great joy. Not just joy, great joy. The kind of joy that can’t be contained in a single day but spills over into this whole delicious season. So if you’re feeling a bit of post-Christmas Day anticlimax, take heart-the angels didn’t clock off at midnight on the 25th, and neither should we.
The days between Christmas and New Year can feel like a no-man’s-land, but I like to think of them as a holy pause. The shepherds had to wait to tell their story. The wise men were still journeying. The world had changed forever, but there was still time to ponder it all.
This is your chance to soak in the wonder. Revel in the leftovers—both the literal (who doesn’t love reheated stuffing?) and the spiritual. Crack open the Quality Street tin again and reread those nativity passages.
Reflect on the joy of Emmanuel, "God with us."
Laugh a little louder, rest a little deeper, and feast with the kind of reckless joy that only comes from knowing that God is with us—not just on December 25th but every day.
Merry Christmas. Yes, still.