Christmastide is the traditional Christian season of celebration that begins on Christmas Day and continues for twelve days, ending on January 5th (the day before Epiphany, January 6th). You might know the old song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”: it describes the twelve days of Christmastide, when “my true love gave to me” various gifts, from a partridge in a pear tree to twelve drummers drumming.

In centuries past, Christmastide was when people did most of their Christmas celebrating. While families today often open presents on Christmas morning and then move on quickly, Christians historically treated Christmas as the beginning of a special season, not the end. Churches held special services throughout these twelve days, families continued feasting and gathering, and communities performed plays and sang carols.

Today, many Americans take down their decorations shortly after Christmas, but some families who observe Christmastide keep their Christmas trees up and their lights glowing until Epiphany on January 6th, treating the whole period as one extended celebration rather than a single day.