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I was reflecting, not so long ago, on the day of the week Christmas falls on — and how it affects our lives at work, home and church.
None of the days feel like Christmas fits them.
Sunday Christmases hardly feel different from any other Sunday, so that’s no good. Monday Christmases feel like one of the many secular federal holidays pushed to Mondays — and makes Christmas Eve’s Mass schedule awkward.
Tuesday Christmases turn into four-day weekends, often, but for those who like time off during the Christmas Octave, they aren’t ideal. Neither are Wednesday Christmases, though in terms of Mass schedules, they are like a more leisurely Ash Wednesday.
Thanksgiving has trained us how to handle Thursday Christmases, a little but. Friday Christmas is great, but Thursday Christmas Eve feels weird, my kids say.
Saturday Christmases work well everywhere but church, where Mass obligations pile up and you need to go to different Masses for both weekend days — two weeks in a row, including Mary, Mother of God.
Not long ago, reflecting on all of this I wrote a poem that argues — correctly, I think — that this is all as it should be!
Christmas Days of the Week
When Christmas falls on Sunday
It’s unexceptionally holy;
When Christmas falls on Monday
It feels late and happens slowly.
When Christmas comes on Tuesday
It’s an awkward interruption.
When Christmas comes on Wednesday,
It’s an inconsiderate disruption.
If Christmas is a Thursday
You feel rushed and over-taxed;
When it’s a Friday or a Saturday,
The weekend’s too relaxed.
Thanksgiving’s always Thursday —
That sounds proper to the ear.
Easter is so very Sunday
It defines that day all year.
But Christmas doesn’t have a day
That feels safe and right …
I guess Jesus comes that way —
Like a thief does in the night!
