Dear Father,
Can you please address the rush for Christmas decorations before Advent even begins? It seems that even the Church is secularizing the Christmas season that doesn’t begin until December 25. It is very hard to teach children how to celebrate the seasons when the lines have become blurred even by the Church!
-Yani
Dear Yani,
You are spot on concerning rushing the Christmas season. Just one correction: The Christmas season begins with the Vigil Mass on December 24. This year, Christmas runs through January 11, 2026, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Not only is it hard to teach children how to celebrate the seasons, it’s tough to teach grown-ups about the differences between Advent and Christmas, too!
To be fair, I don’t think the Church, as you mentioned, is blurring the distinction. The problem lies with certain parish churches, not the entire Catholic Church.
You didn’t distinguish which decorations are being put up during Advent in various churches. I think it’s worth differentiating between lit-up Christmas trees and a Nativity scene or creche.
Some homes keep the Nativity scene set up all year long to be reminded of the great gift that God gave us when He was born as the God-man to redeem us. I know of churches that do the same thing. It’s a 3-D version of the churches’ stained-glass windows depicting the birth of Christ. The Nativity is an essential part of the Rosary, when we meditate on the amazing grace of Bethlehem.
Advent is the season during which we prepare to celebrate Christ’s first coming among us, but it is also a time to prepare for his Second Coming, the Final Judgment.
How do we prepare for these two comings of Christ? The common denominator is reception. Christmas is the time to more deeply receive the grace of union with Christ, who continues to give himself to us through the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist.
When we live the sacramental life, that is, when we enter more deeply into the meaning and graces of the sacraments, and when we maintain a life of prayer, we are preparing for the Second Coming. The Second Coming of Christ is not so much to be feared as to be anticipated with joy. Christians see it as the culmination of what God has made us for.
The color violet is used for the vestments during Advent. It signifies dying to self to live in union with God. During Advent, we mute the noise of the world and our own ambitions that we may see and love Christ more, both in his Person and in the persons of those who walk beside us.
Church music changes during Advent, too. We are instructed to use the pipe organ and other musical instruments more moderately. This also includes floral decorations. Thus, it is not appropriate to fill the parish church with Christmas decorations and lights during Advent. Even weddings during Advent must observe a certain liturgical sobriety.
The brevity of the Advent season makes it challenging to put up Christmas decorations in churches. Depending on the year, sometimes there are four full weeks of Advent, while at other times Advent lasts only three weeks plus one day.
When Advent is so compacted, finding time to decorate the church is rough. As a result, church decorating often begins just after Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, when the priest wears rose-colored vestments (see my article Why don’t priests wear pink more?). Christmas trees and wreaths may need to be set in place, but without the tree lights burning.
Often, the nativity scene needs to be set up during Advent, too, because of the elaborate tableau. Churches in Italy vie with one another to show how Christ’s first coming changes every aspect of life. The Vatican annually begins setting up a life-size creche in St. Peter’s Square, just outside the pope’s apartment, weeks before Advent.
Having the creche set up during Advent adds an air of expectation, especially when the image of the Christ Child is absent. At the Christmas Vigil Mass, the priest processes to the manger scene and symbolically places the Baby Jesus in his crib. The commemoration of his holy birth has begun and we offer the Mass in thanksgiving to God for his condescension. The presence of the Divine Infant shows us that God’s love knows no bounds.
Finally, we should take advantage of the Christmas season to the fullest extent. The season used to last from Christmas Eve until the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, 40 days after his birth, on Feb. 2. With the creation of the new Church calendar, the season lasts only between two and three weeks.
One can’t help but wonder if we have unwittingly contributed to moving Christmas decorating earlier by shortening the season. People used to keep their home Christmas decorations up for much longer. Now, we see the sad remnants of Christmas trees by the side of the road on December 26. Stores will begin displaying Valentines before we know it.
It’s time to renew our embrace of the full Advent season. Genuine renewal happens at the grassroots. May we all work at taking the fullest advantage of preparing our souls for Christ’s birthday and the end of the world by making Advent a time for spiritual revitalization. Make a good sacramental confession. Do small acts of penance. Give more to the poor. Love God and neighbor!
Questions about the sacraments should be sent to sacraments101@columbuscatholic.org
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