CHRISTMASTIDE is the 12 days from Christmas Day (December 25) to day before the Season of Epiphany starts (January 5).

“The liturgical day actually starts at sundown the night before a feast or fast. The Christmas Eve Eucharist is actually the first worship service of Christmas. The emphasis is usually on the story of the birth of Christ and the church is [decorated with green and red]. Because carols are not sung during Advent, we sing them Christmas Eve.”

While the Christmas carol, “The 12 Days of Christmas” has not been proven that it was written to help Christians learn and pass on the tenets of their faith while avoiding persecution. It is nonetheless a fun carol to learn and sing each year around this time.

TWO TURTLE DOVES = The Old and New Testaments

December 26th: The Feast of St. Stephen

• Stephen, Deacon and Martyr (this Holy Day is observed on December 26)

You can read about St. Stephen in Acts, chapters 6 and 7.

He is considered to be a deacon of the church, with others, because he was set apart to minister to the needs of the widows on behalf of the apostles.

He was martyred by stoning, and Saul (later Paul) stood by and held his murderer’s cloaks. Stephen preached the Gospel as he was being stoned, and saw a vision of Jesus standing at God’s right hand.

• On the First day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . A partridge is a pear tree (refers to Jesus Christ on the Cross)

Source: https://anglicancompass.com/the-12-days-of-christmas-guide-to-christmastide/