Get your family started with traditions for the 12 days of Christmas if you haven’t already! Growing up my brother and I would get a gift per day until the Epiphany. I would love the anticipation of getting another gift the next day even if sometimes I wanted to open them all at once.
My husband and I chose to carry that tradition forward by celebrating the 12 days of Christmas. We do not give a gift each day, as we found that too hard, but make a schedule to do something special for each of the twelve days.
Christmas Eve and Day Traditions
The traditions for the 12 days of Christmas start AFTER Christmas, not before like a lot of secular celebrators are leaning toward. On Christmas Eve, before Mass, we light the tree and read Annie and Willie’s prayer. We try to listen to Advent music in the days leading up to Christmas like this CD. On Christmas day we have hot chocolate, cinnamon buns, open presents, and go to Mass. Don’t forget to put baby Jesus in the creche!
12 Days of Christmas Traditions
So what are some of the traditions that your family can do after Christmas Day? Check out this list of 25 terrific traditions!
- 1. Move Magi
- Each day move the wise men towards the manger so that they will make it to Jesus by the Epiphany.
- 2. Visit Family
- Being from families of health care professions, we are used to visiting family around Christmas even if it is not on the exact day. You are still seeing family for Christmas if it is during the 12 days of Christmas.
- 3. Visit Friends
- If you got the pleasure of being with family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and you are all caught up, make some time to visit friends that you don’t get to see often.
- 4. Light Up
- Light the Jesus candle of the advent wreath and keep your tree and other decorations with lights (such as a wreath) lit. Keep decorations up as they do not need to come down until Candlemas (Feb 2). Poinsettias make for good longer lasting decorations to get you through the season.
- 5. Daily Mass
- Use your (hopefully extra) time off to attend daily Mass with the family.
- 6. Thank yous
- Write thank you cards and get them mailed off so you don’t forget about them later.
- 7. No school!
- If you homeschool, give the kiddos a break from school during the 12 days of Christmas to help recharge their batteries.
- 8. Brunch
- Whip up a special breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, banana bread, fruit salad, the works!
- 9. Christmas Cookies
- Bake cookies as a family, from sugar cookies to Italian Christmas Cookies to German Christmas cookies; you could spend all 12 days making a different type of cookie!
- 10. Gingerbread Houses
- Plan to buy ahead of time if you want to get a kit (such as from Trader Joes). Spend the afternoon designing a dream house!
- 11. Sweets by the Fire
- Light a fire in the fireplace if you have one (if not Netflix has a fireplace loop you can play) and drink eggnog, hot chocolate, etc., and roast some marshmallows.
- 12. Light Display
- Make the time to drive through a local light display or popular neighborhood known for its Christmas light displays. You may want to go the day after Christmas, as light displays tend to close up quickly after Christmas day!
- 13. Christmas Music
- Use Pandora or another free service to play Christmas tunes as after Christmas Day the radio stations abruptly stop. Play Christmas music in the car, while cooking or baking, or while doing chores.
- 14. Christmas Carols
- Take the time to sing classic carols with your kids so they can learn the melody and words. Singing acapella, especially by candlelight, makes for great memories.
- 15. Christmas movies
- Keep a list of your favorites so you can watch a movie each day!
- 16. Family Game Time
- Board games, puzzles, cards- whatever you please- use the extra time to get some quality game time with the family.
- 17. Christmas Crafts
- Pick out crafts that would make for great decorations for next Christmas.
- 18. Read Christmas Books
- For bedtime reading, incorporate Christmas themed books to keep the spirit going.
- 19. Fort
- Stay cozy inside and build an indoor fort with blankets and chairs or have an indoor campout by pitching a tent in your living room.
- 20. Novena to Magi
- Starting Dec 28th until the Epiphany, pray this novena daily.
- 21. Dec 28th Feast of the Holy Innocents
This is a special day in which the father can bless his children with a special blessing:
Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto Thee.
Father: Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, once Thou embraced and placed Thy hands upon the little children who came to Thee, and said: “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, and their angels always see the face of my Father!” Look now with fatherly eyes on the innocence of these children and their parents’ devotion, and bless them this day through our prayers.
The father blesses his children with holy water with the sign of the cross on their forehead
Father: In Thy grace and goodness let them advance continually, longing for Thee, loving Thee, fearing Thee, keeping Thy commandments. Then they will surely come to their destined home, through Thee, Savior of the world. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
All: Amen.
Father: May God bless you. And may He keep your hearts and minds — the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
- 22. Dec 31st St Sylvester Indulgence
- A plenary indulgence may be gained, under the usual conditions, by reciting the Te Deum in thanksgiving for the past year.
- 23. January 1st Solemnity of Mary
- Get the family to Mass today as it is a Holy Day of Obligation
- 24. Chalk blessing of the house on Epiphany
- Take blessed chalk, obtained at Mass from your priest, and write C+M+B (the initials of the three Wise Men–Casper, Melchior, Balthasar). Then write the year, with the first two numbers of the year to the left of the initials, and the last two numbers on the right of the initials (e.g. 20 C+M+B 21). Sometimes the letters are thought to stand for “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” or “May Christ Bless The House.”
- 25. Epiphany Gifts
- If you don’t want to do gifts for all 12 days of Christmas, you can do smaller stocking gifts on the Epiphany for a second round of excitement.
I hope this list of traditions for the 12 days of Christmas will make the holidays more special for you and your family! Please let me know what traditions you have in the comments below.
