WE WANT OUR TWELVE DAYS BACK!

Get that turkey in the oven before noon or we'll never eat! Hurry! And we still have to get in the car and drive out to see Uncle Bob for five minutes and take him some cookies! Hurry up!
And get the baby a gift and wrap it! There's no time now---ooops, there's the phone! Hurry! Is that the doorbell! Hurry! What am I going to do!? Hurry!

A lot of good people spend a huge amount of time money and stress getting ready for that One Big Day, and it can be miserable. Its not meant to be like that.

I know a little family who race hundreds of miles in circles around their county just to touch base with relatives on December 25th---they stay ten minutes and get the heck out: they have come to dread it every year. Thats not fun, its miserable for everybody involved.

CHRISTMAS IS A TWELVE DAY HOLIDAY

Thats what those Twelve Days of Christmas were: the days of rest between Christmas Day and the morning of January 6. Thats what the song is about.

Let me put is this way: Christmas does NOT begin before Labor Day, the overall health of our national economy should NOT have to depend on us spending money at Christmas.Your Christmas does NOT belong to some corporate giant hoping to save itself from bankruptcy by pushing gross amounts of expensive items disguised as 'the perfect gift' for the ones you love---DON'T FALL FOR THAT! Love, peace and joy cannot be purchased.

The Twelve Days is a very ancient celebration, starting as long ago as the beginning of human history: although we call it 'Christmas' now, this is an annual astronomical event that will happen whether we want it to or not: the solstice is open to and touching every single person on the earth. Its our planetary holiday.

How can we buy gifts for all those people! Left to me, I'd just as soon bake cookies for everybody: and nobody would get a gift bigger than can sit in the branches of your Christmas tree. When Christmas still belonged to us, thats the way it was.

TAKE CHRISTMAS BACK!

Start Christmas later---December 24 would be good. Christmas is not supposed to start while you're still on Summer vacation. People suffer from burnout and they begin to hate the season and its no wonder. Start later and carry it over the full Twelve Days.

Then when its over, its really over: after January Sixth, you have a bonfire and burn all the greens and put the decorations in the back of the deepest closet---then Christmas becomes a special time.

Talk to your elected officials, union leaders, chambers of commerce, and church and school organizations: ask them to schedule vacations and down time. Take those twelve days off and we can all enjoy the holiday, be in a better mood for the new year and live longer.

The Twelve Days can be a time for renewal, for doing charity work, for giving back to the community, or working on your dreams for the kind of world you want to live in: make it a world holiday working for peace and understanding.

Schedule some rest during the Twelve Days; see a movie, visit neighbors, see a play, go for a walk---if you have a big family dinner on December 26th, who cares? Or the 28th? Its legal! Here's more:

In Western Christian tradition, January 6 was the time when the Wise Men arrived at Bethlehem; in some places this is called Little Christmas celebrated on the evening of January 5 as Twelfth Night, and January 6 as Epiphany---and there are lots of other traditions and, history and even foods that go with that, too.

The old church actually planned for twelve days of rest and relaxation: the four weeks or so before Christmas is Advent which is meant to be a fasting period. Thats when you cook and bake, preparing for the Christmas feasting by letting go of food, eating only what you need and saving rich food for the feast. Then during the twelve days, all the food is more evenly distributed among the friends, family and neighbors as gifts, so everybody can share the bounty. It was a practical arrangement: without it, some people might have starved.

Christmas was never meant to be one day: it was always meant to be four weeks of fasting and preparation, followed by twelve full days of resting, food and joy. Christmas Day is just the beginning: call it First Day, followed by the Second Day and so on, to remind people of the time involved.

For observant Christians there are other traditions within the twelve days that you could revive: like fearsome Childermas with its spankings and snow pudding and St. Stephen's Day with the mysterious wren boys (SEE the next page for a link to more information about the wrens)

During some periods Christmas was not officially over until February 2, a observance called Candlemas when all the Christmas greens were taken down and burned in a bonfire.

In pre-Christian times the re-birth of the sun was celebrated for days at the time of the Winter Solstice with the burning of huge logs and mock battles between giants: the ancient Romans had the equivalent of Christmas evergreens hung with gifts, and they honoured their jolly, magical god Saturn with eight days of feasting just before December 24. In other words, the idea of taking time off in December is not new, nor is it exclusively Christian. This is a planetary event.

There are ancient traditions enough for everybody of all faiths and persuasions: ask and I'll be happy to help or visit www.candlegrove.com for more information.

With twelve days there is time to see your in-laws on both sides of the family, your step-children and extended families. With twelve days nobody needs to argue about where they spend Christmas---there is time for all of it.

BRING BACK THE TWELVE DAYS!

Chanukah is eight days, Kwanzaa is eight days, even Ramadan is a whole month. The ancient Babylonians observed a twelve day rest at this time of year, so did the Egyptians. Whatever your background and spiritual orientation, there is a history with traditions for taking off the Twelve Days.

Insist on it. This time does not belong to the corporations or your employer: this is a very ancient tradition in many cultures ---its your time, and the community's time, and your family's.

Its not just an old song: its our heritage as citizens of the planet--- We want our Partridge in a Pear Tree!

Please cut and paste and send this message or send to as many people as you can---keep it growing: go tell it on the mountain!

Honour Christmas in your heart and try to keep it all the year! God Save Christmas keepers!

phbp@webtv.net

On the next page is a calendar of events for the Twelve Days: if I miss anything, please let me know: