Little Women
In Christian churches that follow the Gregorian calendar, is the Epiphany, which commemorates the Magi visiting the baby Jesus. It also marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (though it is not one of the twelve days itself). I grew up calling it Little Christmas—in fact, when I was a kid, I thought the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was inviting the listener to enjoy the 6th of January. My sister tried to correct me numerous times but I wasn’t having any of it. It was right there in the song!
We put up Christmas decorations and lit the house from mid-December until the night before Little Christmas. The trees and other indoor decorations stayed up until the 6th, coming down on the day itself (or the weekend after, if it fell during the school week). Despite my atheism I still mark those more traditional bounds of the Christmas season. I can’t get behind putting up the Christmas tree on Black Friday, and I especially can’t get behind taking it down on St. Stephen’s Day, literally only the 2nd day of Christmas. Advent is lovely and all, but it’s only the prelude to Christmas, not the whole thing.
In Ireland, today’s called Nollaig na mBan (en: “Women’s Christmas”)—traditionally, men would stay home and do the domestic labor while women would go out and socialize with their friends. Eryn and I will probably end up at Casements tonight.
Nollaig Bheag shona daoibh! Have yourself a merry Little Christmas!