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When I was growing up, my family, like so many others in the community I lived in, celebrated ‘Old Christmas.’ Old Christmas often called the Feast of Epiphany, or the ‘Twelfth Night’ was on January 6, or exactly 12 days after Christmas Day. Some people who lived in some of the Outer Banks communities celebrated January 5.

There are several origins that explain the tradition of how Old Christmas came to be. Some have to do with ancient calendar changes, but the origin I am most familiar with was the celebration of the Three Wise Men, who came from the east to Jerusalem, following the star which they saw in the east, came in search of the newborn Baby Jesus, born King of the Jews. Today this day, the iconic image of Three Wise Men presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby, who is laying in a manger in a stable are etched in Christmas traditions and celebrations.

However, according to the Holy Scriptures, this image and story is not quite accurate. Matthew 2:1-11, states when the Three Wise Men arrived with the gifts for Jesus, He was a young child, possibly a toddler. Verse 11, “And when they came into the house, they there saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshipped him, and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

While many churches in the community and beyond understood these Scriptures, they had wonderful celebrations of the tradition of Old Christmas. Most churches I knew about gave out bags of oranges, apples and nuts for Old Christmas after the service.

We sometimes went to these celebrations. But more often my family celebrated Old Christmas by having sweet treats; Christmas candies or homemade taffy my grandmother made, angel food cake or gingerbread every night for the twelve days from Christmas Day to Old Christmas. Every night a small gift or toy was placed in our shoes after we had gone to bed. Sometimes we would get a much-wanted Christmas gift or toy for Old Christmas, (I learned as an adult it was because they were on sale after Christmas.)

And as they did for New Year’s Eve, many of the elderly people would sit on their porches if it wasn’t too cold to try to hear the angels praying.

Those traditions have been long gone in the generations in my family, but the memories of Old Christmas still keep me good company.