Let the Light Linger: Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas

Jesus, the Light of the World, has come, and everything has changed! While the world around us is quick to move on from Christmas Day, we are invited to linger. Because Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a whole season, a sacred stretch of twelve days filled with beauty, joy, and quiet wonder.

Christmastide, which spans from December 25 through January 6 (the Feast of Epiphany), is our chance to dwell in the miracle of the Incarnation. This is not just the remembrance of a birth long ago, it is the celebration of God’s living presence among us. Christ has come. Light has entered the world. And for twelve holy days, we are invited to let that truth reshape our homes and hearts.

This is a season to celebrate richly and slowly. To mark time not with urgency but with music, feasting, candlelight, and acts of love. It’s a time to soak in the wonder that God took on flesh and made His dwelling among us, not just in history, but here and now. Christmastide is an invitation to go deeper with Christ, to make space for His presence, and to reflect His light to those around us.

So as the world begins to put Christmas away, let us choose to remain. Let us sing the all the Christmas carols, light the candles, gather close, and live in the joy of Emmanuel. For my guidebook walking you through celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas in your home, click here.

Ways to Celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas

If Advent was about watching and waiting, Christmastide is about rejoicing and remembering. These twelve days are an opportunity to keep the feast, each day with its own rhythms of joy and quiet reflection.

Here are some beautiful ways to celebrate the season in your home:

Leave Your Decorations Up

Christmas Day is only the beginning! Keep your tree glowing, the wreath on your door, and your nativity set in place. Let your home reflect the ongoing joy of Christ’s birth for all twelve days.

Light the Christ Candle

Continue using your Advent wreath, but now with the white Christ candle lit at the center each evening. Let its glow remind you that the Light of the World has come and still dwells with us.

Now Sing the Carols

All through Advent, we’ve waited. Now, we sing. Turn up your favorite carol playlist, sing around the piano, or hum as you go about your day. Let the music of Christmas fill your home. (Here’s a favorite playlist to get you started!)

Complete the Nativity Scene

On Christmas Eve, we place Baby Jesus in the manger. And throughout Christmastide, the Wise Men begin their journey, slowly moving closer each day until they arrive on Twelfth Night, the Eve of Epiphany.

Keep Feasting

This is still a feast season! Bake your favorite cookies, pull out your best recipes, and continue to gather at the table with those you love. Bake something special, like our favorite sugar cookies, heavenly fudge, or lemon butter cookies, and enjoy the sweetness of the season.

Sing “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

Have fun with it! Sing a verse each night or all twelve in one go. It’s a playful and memorable way to keep the rhythm of the season alive.

Give Generously

Christmas is a season of giving, and Christmastide is a beautiful time to give to and serve others. Leave gifts for your delivery people, serve at a soup kitchen, or bring a meal to someone in need. Every act of kindness reflects the generosity of our King.

Savor the Season

Slow down. Take long walks. Read favorite Christmas stories aloud. Visit family and friends. Let these twelve days be filled with reflection, connection, and peace.

Christmastide is a grace-filled season, an invitation to live with wonder, to celebrate the birth of Christ not only with our words but with the rhythm of our days. Don’t rush past the miracle. Let your home and your heart stay wide open to the joy and light of Christ, who has come to dwell with us.

May your twelve days be full of music, light, and love.

Christ is born! Glorify Him.