I know the boy is supposed to be slow, but he is incorrect. Christmas ends January 6th- or 12th Night. I'm a Christian and we don't begin Christmas until Christmas Eve. Its a 12 day celebration. I guess in the secular world Christmas ends before you even finish opening up your stocking. Oh well.
shareSorry, but Todd was right. Some people may choose to celebrate for 12 days but Christmas begins and ends on December 25 and not even that day (as the birth date of Jesus) is known to be correct ... it's an arbitrary date chosen by the Roman Emperor Constantine who was believed to have used his faith for political gain and not for his genuine Christian beliefs -- however, he is responsible for bringing Christian martyrdom to an end (at least for a while) when he defeated Roman Emperor Maxentius for control of the western Roman Empire. Several years after that defeat (which I think was in 336 BC)Pope Julius made December 25 official and committed it to writing for the early Christians. There are several conflicting stories on why that specific date was chosen but they all boil down to it being an arbitrary selection. There was no week long celebration ... it was a Catholic mass (the Mass of Christ - Christ - Mass) and the only one that could be performed after sunset so they celebrated it at midnight before sunrise on December 25.
It may be the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah that you are thinking of - I am not familiar with the Jewish faith but believe they celebrate for 8 days beginning on the 25th day of their month of Kislev (part of the celebration being the lighting of the 8 candles of the Menorah - I love the wonderful story of the Menorah and I am not Jewish - the month in which they celebrate (Kislev) is in the lunar calendar and varies each year but it's always around Christmas (late November or December). I don't know of a faith that celebrates for 12 days but would be interested in learning about one.
All of this is just what I remember learning in history, theology and from Jewish friends so it's definitely subject to some flaws as my memory is NOT what it used to be. Look it up, I'm sure it's all online somewhere as EVERYTHING is online nowadays... and NONE Of it relates to this absolutely WONDERFUL movie that celebrates all that is good about the season and all that can be good about the human spirit.
The OP is referring not to Christmas day, but to Christmastide, i.e. the Christmas seasons, which runs from Christmas Eve through 12th Night. So when people on December 26th say "Christmas is over", they are technically wrong, and technically right.
shareYes, Christmas is a Season. Some people extend it to February 2nd in the Catholic church. But commonly, Christmas is December 25th through January 5th and then January 6th is "Three Kings Day" or Epiphany.
This is truth. People start Christmas too early. People think Christmas begins the day after Thanksgiving and ends December 25th and its long over then. But actually that is the Season of Advent.
"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".
"I don't know a faith that celebrates the 12 days of Christmas".
I'm correct in assuming you are not a Christian?
Most all Christian churches and denominations celebrate Christmas for 12 days. During this period is when they sing Christmas carols, observe Christmas in the way of decorations and celebrations and the nativity. Throughout these 12 days are also "feasts" such as December 26th is the Feast of Stephen. Christmas is a Season, and it begins December 25th (and Christmas Eve) and runs through January 5th. We don't know when Jesus was born, but the church didn't just pull those dates out of their behinds. It has to do with the liturgical calendar.
In the Secular Christmas,they start their Christmas before they finish their Thanksgiving meal, and then by December 25th its long over. That is not the real CHRISTmas. The Season of Advent comes before Christmas. People start Christmas too early and end it too soon. My point.
"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".
They mean Christmas day. But that's not just a secular thing to think of Christmas having ended as soon as Christmas day is over.
shareI saw this film again this afternoon! My Christmas is complete :)
Christmas looks a lot like my dog Babe, who departed this life 4 years ago the day after Christmas. I will always miss her. She saved my soul.
Even now I think a lot of people keep their Christmas decorations up till 12th Night. And some with outside lights never seem to turn them off ever. With Advent being the preparation for Christmas added to it, there is a feeling that season is with us for a long time. No way is it an abrupt affair as the OP is suggesting.
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