Ribbons during the Christmas Octave
Eight days, four feasts, and a season all competing for the same pages. The one week where the Proper of Saints and the Proper of Seasons genuinely take turns.
Unlike the Easter Octave, the Christmas Octave has real feasts on most of its days, so the Proper of Saints is in constant use. Move both ribbons daily and read the day’s rank before you decide which section carries the office.
The Octave of Christmas runs from Christmas Day through the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on 1 January. Four of those eight days are feasts in their own right, and they sit in the Proper of Saints rather than the Proper of Seasons, which is why this week feels busier than the Easter Octave.
What happens on each day
| Date | Celebration | Which section leads |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 25 | The Nativity of the Lord, solemnity | Proper of Seasons |
| Dec 26 | St. Stephen, the First Martyr, feast | Proper of Saints |
| Dec 27 | St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, feast | Proper of Saints |
| Dec 28 | The Holy Innocents, feast | Proper of Saints |
| Dec 29 | Fifth day of the Octave; St. Thomas Becket is reduced to a commemoration | Proper of Seasons |
| Dec 30 | Sixth day, or the Holy Family when Christmas falls on a Sunday | Proper of Seasons |
| Dec 31 | Seventh day; St. Sylvester I is reduced to a commemoration | Proper of Seasons |
| Jan 1 | Mary, the Holy Mother of God, solemnity | Proper of Seasons |
The Holy Family is the moveable one. It falls on the Sunday within the Octave, and when Christmas itself is a Sunday there is no such Sunday, so it moves to 30 December.
Commemorations, not memorials. On 29 and 31 December the optional memorials do not displace the day. The weekday office of the Octave is used, and the saint may be honored with an added antiphon and prayer taken from the Proper of Saints. The daily guide labels these days explicitly so you are not left guessing which section wins.
What the Psalter does
The Psalter keeps counting through the Octave from the week that was already running; Christmas is not one of the four reset points. On the three feast days, 26 to 28 December, the antiphons and psalms are proper to the feast, so the Psalter ribbon simply waits. More on the four-week cycle.
And late Advent, just before
The days from 17 to 24 December work on a related principle. The proper is taken from the calendar date rather than the day of the week, and any memorial falling in those days is reduced to a commemoration, exactly as on 29 and 31 December. If Advent’s last week has ever felt like it broke your ribbons, this is why.
See today’s ribbon placements Free, no account, works offline once you have opened itCommon questions
Which ribbon leads during the Christmas Octave?
It alternates. On 26, 27 and 28 December the Proper of Saints leads, because those are feasts. On the other days the Proper of Seasons leads.
What is a commemoration?
A reduced observance. The weekday office is used in full, and the saint is honored with an added antiphon and prayer rather than a proper office. This applies to memorials in late Advent, on Lenten weekdays, and on 29 and 31 December.
When is the Feast of the Holy Family?
On the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas. If Christmas Day itself falls on a Sunday there is no such Sunday, and the feast moves to 30 December.
Does the Psalter week reset at Christmas?
No. The four reset points are the First Sunday of Advent, the First Sunday in Ordinary Time, the First Sunday of Lent, and Easter Sunday. The cycle simply keeps counting through Christmas.