Wait, What Day of the Week Is Christmas This Year?
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It's the most wonderful time of the year!
If you're anything like Ree Drummond, your definition of winter basically revolves around Christmas. She says, "Winter means figuring out which Christmas cookies to make, searching for the perfect gifts, picking out the best tree on the lot, making (and delivering) cinnamon rolls to friends and neighbors—the works!" While she has a lot on her plate, Ree has one definitive rule when it comes to December: A Christmas tree should not go up until at least the second week of December. Though it seems her daughter Alex may disagree on that. Her Christmas decorations went up in November this year!
Okay, everyone gears up for the holidays at different times, but it seems like the Christmas spirit is felt earlier and earlier each year. Some brands like Walmart offer holiday shopping deals beginning in early November. Your favorite Christmas songs might even pop up on the radio around Thanksgiving! We're not complaining... especially if we can fit in even more Christmas traditions.
But with all these ideas on when to decorate for Christmas and how to celebrate the holiday, but when exactly is Christmas again?
It can be hard to keep track of the day in the midst of the holiday rush. And why is Christmas celebrated in December in the first place? Well, we got curious, too. So, if you find yourself singing "Where Are You, Christmas?" and actually mean it, you'll want to read on for why December is the gift-giving holiday and what day of the week Christmas falls on this year.
What day of the week is Christmas this year?
Much like Thanksgiving, the actual day of the week that we celebrate changes each year. Christmas Eve falls on Sunday, December 24, and Christmas Day falls on Monday, December 25 in 2023.
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?
This may come as a surprise, but there is actually no mention of December 25 in the Bible. In fact, it doesn't mention a specific time or date for Jesus' birth at all! December was already a significant month prior to Christianity, as many groups celebrated the winter solstice and the return of longer days. The Romans notably observed Juvenalia on December 25, which was a feast to honor the children of Rome and the infant god Mithra.
Early Christians eventually believed Jesus was born January 6, since that aligned with the assumed date of his crucifixion. This meant that the 25th was considered a pagan day and the 6th a Christian one.
So, why did it all change? You can thank Pope Julius I for that! In the fourth century, Julius I chose December 25 as the official date to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's commonly believed that he chose this date to help adopt and absorb the pagan festivals that occurred during the same time and thus attract the masses to Christmas instead. (Note that Juvenalia was a celebration of children!)
By the sixth century, the "Feast of the Nativity," as it was first called, spread widely in England and Germany. While it was initially a raucous celebration, Americans reinvented Christmas as a day centered on family, peace, and nostalgia.
Other important days related to Christmas
Did you know there are several other winter holidays associated with Christmas, too?
We touched on one earlier! If you're still wondering about the original date, January 6 now marks the day that the wise men arrived in Bethlehem, so the intervening period is known as the 12 Days of Christmas. Yep, just like the Christmas carol! The 12 days between Christmas and January 6 have been marked since the Middle Ages in Europe, representing the amount of time it took the three wise men to travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. Each of these days symbolizes a person or an event observed by the Christian church and the last day, January 6, is known as Three Kings’ Day or the Feast of the Epiphany.
There’s also Advent! This season represents a time in which the Christian church prepares for the birth of Jesus. Basically, it's a period of waiting and expectation for Christmas that presents itself as a celebration for weeks rather than simply one day. Advent always starts four Sundays before Christmas and always ends on Christmas Eve. So, in 2023, Advent starts Sunday, December 3 and runs through Sunday, December 24. You may even recognize the name from your advent calendars, though most of those don't technically cover the Advent season and instead start on December 1.
All that being said, it's time to pull out your Christmas pajamas and put on your favorite Christmas movies, because the countdown to Christmas is on!
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