Most believe the O Antiphons were first used in the 500s (that’s more than 1,500 years ago!). The hymn, first written in Latin, was in use as early as 800 AD. If you take the first letter of each name for Christ (in the original Latin), starting with Emmanuel, they spell ERO CRAS, which means, “Tomorrow, I will be there.” Bring the O Antiphons to life with DIY luminaries!

The 12 Days of Christmas, which begin on Christmas Day, end on 12th Night, the eve of Epiphany. Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. The celebration principally commemorates the visit of the Magi to Baby Jesus, which is Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Use this guide to discover Epiphany and to celebrate with a 12th Night Party complete with a menu and White Elephant Gift Exchange!

I’m going to share with you the plan I use to simplify and “meaningfulify” (that’s a real word, as of right now) your holiday. Our holidays don’t need to be complicated, full of stress, or non-stop activity to be meaningful. They simply need to be intentional. The free PDF you’ll find at the end of this post will help you work through these steps. So let’s get planning!

We structured our book, The Joy of Advent, around the Jesse Tree. With 25 symbols, and another 12 for the Twelve Days of Christmas, how do you display them beautifully, memorably, and meaningfully? Read on for inspiration and for a printable list of all the Jesse Tree figures!