Believe it or not, but the official Christmas season doesn’t start until the big day itself. Christmas Day itself marks the first day of the 12-day period that shares its name with a popular carol that goes on...and on...and on.
In Christianity this period is not about partridges in pear trees, gold rings or leaping lords, but the period between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi - otherwise known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings - on January 6, a date called Epiphany.
Some families also choose to celebrate the feast days within that period, such as St Stephen’s Day on December 26. 12 Days of Christmas lyrics More recently the term is more closely associated with the carol in which someone declares their love by buying more
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