{"id":8652,"date":"2024-12-31T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/?p=8652"},"modified":"2024-12-30T10:54:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T15:54:12","slug":"only-12-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/only-12-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Only 12 Days?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here we are, New Year\u2019s Eve. I thought I\u2019d try to start the new year off by emphasizing that Christmas should never end. By that I mean we should always carry the glory and light of the holy night in all that we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might seem unbelievable given that the \u201cChristmas creep\u201d now begins before Halloween, but the true Christmas season doesn\u2019t actually start until Christmas Day itself. That\u2019s right: December 25th marks the official start of the 12 days of Christmas, the Christian tradition that shares its name with a relentlessly stuck-in-your-head Christmas carol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, even us Catholics tend to forget that Christmas lasts longer than December 25th, no matter how many times \u201cThe Twelve Days of Christmas\u201d plays on the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now mind you, I\u2019m not talking about the 12 gift giving days outlined in that oft annoying holiday carol. There\u2019s so much more to it than partridges in pear trees, gold rings or drummers drumming. Nor am I suggesting that the Christmas festivities should last all year round. No one can or should keep up that kind of pace.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"12<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Rather, the yearlong Christmas I speak of is not at all materialistic. A year-round Christmas is more emotional, mental and spiritual, which manifests physically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we walk around with an \u201ceveryday Christmas\u201d mindset, those feelings we have during the holidays are going to naturally be expressed all year round. Our posture of faithfulness, gratitude and giving during Christmas should be something we exhibit throughout the rest of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The traditional 12 days of Christmas is the period in Christian theology that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. It begins on December 25th (Christmas) and runs through January 6th \u2013 the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings\u2019 Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Is Not Over<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"Peace<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Christmas spirit is meant to be a reminder of how to live life. The real meaning and values celebrated during Christmas are important enough to celebrate all year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are called to push back the darkness, embrace the glory that \u201cshone around them\u201d and spread the good news. Are you doing this not only at Christmas but every day of the year? It\u2019s a convicting question and I\u2019m not here to accuse. I\u2019m just here to say life is short\u2026who or what are you living it for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trying to understand the true significance of an event like Christmas can\u2019t be done in a single day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Christmas\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For Catholics (and some other Christian religions), Christmastide is the name given to the Christmas season in the church calendar. For Catholics it begins on Christmas Eve and ends on the second Sunday of January celebrating the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Not to be confused with an infant baptism, this celebrates when John the Baptist baptized Jesus as an adult in the Jordan River. In 2025 that will be Sunday, January 12th giving us a Christmas season of around 20 days or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many modern-day Latin Rite-Catholics will find themselves in the Christmas season until February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the temple; stretching Christmastide to roughly 40 days. That\u2019s quite a bit more than 12 days, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Should Never End<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"Christmas<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I do think that we should celebrate the reason for Christmas all year long. The true spirit of Christmas starts by giving thanks for God\u2019s precious gift. But it doesn’t stop there. We should concentrate on showing generosity, love, kindness, and spending time with loved ones, throughout the entire year, not just during the holiday season; essentially, living with a focus on the positive values associated with Christmas all year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we are past the Christmas joy of December and well into the new year, it might take a bit more effort for us to act on inclinations to do good. We likely find that busyness can abruptly take the steering wheel with no comfortable stop in sight. As various professional and personal priorities take over, we can struggle to be as attentive to carrying the Spirit of Christmas with us in everyday life as we had been while wrapping gifts and singing carols.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Hold<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Our Lord, however, never slows down His pace \u2013 drawing our attention to a struggling local business, reminding us to call someone who is lonely, encouraging us to forgive, and inspiring us to give. This is God\u2019s way of helping us draw nearer to Him\u2026little stepping stones to God that we are blessed to receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we remember that all the good that has ever happened to us, including our talents and blessings, are from the Lord, then we can respond willingly to even the slightest inclination to goodness that comes to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Fight<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It is even more imperative today that we fight through the darkness, praying for help to stay focused and strong to fight the good fight when called. It doesn\u2019t take much to light up someone\u2019s life, to bring Christmas hope and joy to them when they need it most, no matter whether it\u2019s Christmastime\u2026or any other time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One final very important Christmas song for you\u2026\u201dChristmas All Year Long<\/a><\/strong>\u201d by Brianna Haynes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Christmas<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019m focusing this year on not moving beyond Christmas as fast as I can. I want to stop and be mindful of the reason Christ came into this world. His birth was a miraculous event, followed by a life of miraculous events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if the story ended there, the fact is we probably would not be celebrating anything special on December 25th. It\u2019s the end of the story that brings with it the reason we celebrate: Christ came into this world to die for our sins. From the grave, He rose again. He went to Heaven and He will return again someday. Will you be ready?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make kindness a year-round tradition. Volunteer, donate, or simply perform small acts of kindness to brighten someone\u2019s day. Channel the spirit of giving and generosity beyond the holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"New<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Thanks for reading this week\u2019s \u201cTuesday Tip\u201d. <\/em>Keep an eye out for a new tip next week. Click \u201cFollow Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d to stay in touch. I hope you have a wonderful week!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Happy<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here we are, New Year\u2019s Eve. I thought I\u2019d try to start the new year off by emphasizing that Christmas should never end. By that I mean we should always carry the glory and light of the holy night in all that we do. It might seem unbelievable given that the \u201cChristmas creep\u201d now begins before Halloween, but the true Christmas season doesn\u2019t actually start until Christmas Day itself. That\u2019s right: December 25th marks the official start of the 12…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"0","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tuesday-tip-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}