Of Christmas Day little need be said, for anyone not familiar with the spirit and the music of Christmas would scarcely be in the service of the Christian church or, indeed, a dweller in a Christian land. It might be mentioned, however, that in the Anglican church no Christmas music is used before the festival; the Sunday preceding is the Fourth Sunday in Advent, and should be observed as such. Seasonal music is reserved for Christmas Day and the week following.
In many churches a late service is held on Christmas Ever, in which case the collect, epistle and gospel are those of Christmas Day, and festival music is is order.
A carol service before Christmas is not inappropriate providing it is not sung until the last service for the Fourth Sunday in Advent has been held.
During the Christmas season occur three Holy Days; St. Stephen's Day (December 26), St. John the Evangelist's Day (December 27), and the Holy Innocents' Day (December 28). A consideration of these festivals belongs properly to a later section devoted to Holy Days; but, since the Prayer Books place their collects, epistles and gospels immediately after those for Christmas Day, and the same arrangement is followed in the Canadian and American lectionaries, it may be more convenient to mention them here.
In churches where services are not held daily, the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist and the Holy Innocents are often neglected in the festivals of Christmas. In the Canadian church, any of these festivals occurring on the First Sunday after Christmas is not observed: in the American church the saint's day takes precedence. (The English book contains no rules of precedence.) In any case, it is not unusual to have a hymn and the collect for the Holy Day on the Sunday after Christmas.
Some hymnals contain a hymn with opening and closing stanzas of a general saint's day character, with stanzas for each Holy Day which may be inserted as required. By using the stanzas for St. Stephen, St. John and the Holy Innocents, this one hymn will serve to bring to mind all three Holy Days if no further observance is planned. Or any hymn commemorating the saints may be used, providing that hymns for apostles and evangelists are not used for St. Stephen and the Holy Innocents, and reference to martyrs is avoided on St. John's Day.
Where services are held daily, each Holy Day may be properly observed, its collect being followed by that of Christmas Day.
One other Holy Day falls in the Christmas season: the feast of the Circumcision of Christ on January 1. Music celebrating that event and making reference to the Name of Jesus is appropriate. Since that festival falls on New Year's Day, hymns which mark the beginning of the year may be used.
In many churches a late service (sometimes called a Watch-Night service) is held on New Year's Eve, and the proper collect, epistle and gospel are those of the Circumcision.
The calendar provides two Sundays after Christmas. If Christmas falls upon a Sunday, the following Sunday will be the feast of the Circumcision, and the collect, epistle, gospel and lessons for the First Sunday after Christmas will not be used. If Christmas falls upon a week day, however, the following Sunday will be observed as the First Sunday after Christmas (unless, in the American church, it be one of the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist, or the Holy Innocents), and the singing of festival music will be continued.
If a Sunday intervenes between the feasts of the Circumcision (January 1) and the Epiphany (January 6), it is observed as the Second Sunday after Christmas. All Prayer Books provide lessons for the Second Sunday after Christmas, but only the American book contains a collect, epistle and gospel. In the English and Canadian churches, the collect, epistle and gospel for the Circumcision and childhood of Jesus (some helpful material may be found among the Hymns for Children). Hymns suitable for the beginning of a new year may be used as well.