The Catholic Man Show Christmas Starts on Christmas: Breaking the “One-Day Holiday” Habit
Ever wake up with that “today is the day” feeling, like you are ready to conquer the world? The guys start there, take a hard left into Pinky and the Brain, and somehow end up pondering what it was like when Christ rose from the dead.
From there, it turns into a practical, tradition-packed episode on celebrating Christmas well. Not the Hallmark version, and not the American “Christmas ends on December 26” version either. The kind that actually follows the liturgical calendar, keeps Advent as Advent, and treats Christmas as a season, not a day.
Along the way, they review a Taiwanese whiskey from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, talk family customs that make the day feel grounded, and make a strong case for grandfathers and fathers to be the custodians of tradition. One of the best parts is a simple, doable challenge: take the 12 Days of Christmas seriously and mark the feast days with small, intentional practices your family will actually remember.
In this episode:
- The “wake up and conquer the world” mood vs the day Christ resurrected
- Advent vs Christmas, and why our culture gets it backwards
- Why “Merry” used to mean more like blessed than happy
- Midnight Mass, caroling, real Christmas trees, and reading Luke before presents
- A great grandfather tradition: gather the family and speak from the heart
- Gifts for kids: fewer and meaningful vs abundance as a sign of the Father’s generosity
- The 12 Days of Christmas, and the feast days that stack up fast
- St. John’s Blessing of Wine and why you should do it
- A practical idea for the Holy Innocents: dads blessing their children out loud
- Epiphany water and why you should plan ahead to get it blessed
Whiskey for the episode: Taiwanese whiskey (Scotch Malt Whisky Society pick), “Dunker’s Delight” style notes, 107 proof, with flavors like caramel and apple pie crust.
Challenge for the week: Pick two feast days during the 12 Days of Christmas and do something small but real. Bless your kids, bless wine, invite someone over, go to Mass, or start a tradition worth keeping.