The Christmas season does not start until at least Christmas Eve, and it lasts till the feast of the baptism of the Lord, typically a week after Epiphany. Before that, we have the season of Advent, an almost four week period of preparation and anticipatory hope.
The Church has this season of Advent for a good reason. The true joys we find in life often come only after much trials and sacrifices. Our Lady and Joseph did not get to enjoy the gift of Jesus, the angels and shepherds and the Magi visiting right after the Annunciation. They had to endure the turmoil of understanding and accepting this dangerous, yes out-of-wedlock, pregnancy, went down to Bethlehem and not finding an inn for the birth, and giving birth in such a squalid place for God’s Son, away from family and friends to assist them. It is the same with Jesus’ gift of salvation. He had to endure the passion and the cross in order to defeat sin, death and Satan on our behalf, before his glorious resurrection that restored us to God.
We find today more and more we are dealing with the same problem. Instant gratification has disposed us and the whole world toward impatience, narcissism and entitlement. No wonder with all the technologies and toys today, we are not happier, our relationships are not stronger, and our hearts are not fuller.
It is for this reason that as Christians, at least liturgically, for the pastoral formation of the faithful to nurture the right spirit of preparation and anticipation, it is a healthy exercise to abstain from the practice of the world around us, who celebrates Christmas as soon as black Friday has passed, yet stops immediately after Boxing Day. We want to instead pray and meditate during Advent, and to make room anew in our heart a place for Jesus. It is a time for us to prepare for Jesus to truly reign: a time for conversion, for forgiving others, for reaching out for the unfortunate, for welcoming the lonely with hospitality, for testifying to others about Jesus, so that when Christmas comes, with ourselves and our relationships renewed, with new friends coming with us to Church and the festivities, we can truly celebrate, not for a couple of days, not for the gifts, but for a whole seasons of about 20 days or so, that God truly is with us.
And so, no, in my opinion, we should refrain from singing Christmas carols liturgically until Christmas Eve.
But outside of liturgy, outside of Church gatherings, there may be times in which pastorally, it would be sensible to allow for carols. For example:
– visit to senior homes or hospitals, that can only take place before Christmas
– early Christmas parties, especially among those who may not understand this
On the contrary, however, I believe it is also important that we should increase and emphasize on Christmas carols after the world around us has stopped celebrating, until the Christmas season ends on the Lord’s baptism, especially as we gather with fellow Christian families and friends. The Christian faithful seem to have forgotten about this. We are washed up with the world’s practice, and no wonder we are often so confused. No, we need to let Christ deepen his birth in our heart, our word and our works. We need to celebrate to the full extent for the whole season that has been given us to encounter and embrace Christ, who was born for us.