To the editor:

Every year Alexandria looks absolutely beautiful at Christmas time, with lights, wreaths, trees and decorations for the holiday season. Some start decorating for Christmas around Halloween and Thanksgiving. Others wait until closer to Christmas to mark the very special time when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – the whole point of Christmas.

As the popular Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” notes, this holiday is more than just one day. The first day of Christmas is Dec. 25 – the month before the 25th is the preparatory season of Advent. Those 12 days lead to the feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6, when the three wise men reached Jesus with gifts. A week later the baptism of Jesus is commemorated, closing the liturgical Christmas season on Jan. 13.

So, why would anyone take down Christmas decorations just as Christmas is beginning in late December? Please, Alexandrians, keep your lights and decorations up – especially in front of your homes for all to appreciate – until well into January. Even if you decorated early this year, keep the celebration going and the decorations displayed so all who celebrate may enjoy the actual Christmas season into the new year.

-Kenneth J. Wolfe, Alexandria