By the time most of you read this column, you’ll have likely wrapped up your Christmas celebrations more than a week ago.

Presents opened, and maybe even already returned. Decadent meals eaten. Christmas worship services attended. Jesus was born. Decorations packed away. … Boom, back to the grind.

We’re nothing if not efficient here in America.

But imagine if we were to actually celebrate the nativity of Jesus in the manner the church prescribed hundreds of years ago. And by that, I mean celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Christmastide, as it’s also known, is a religious season that begins the day of Jesus’ birth and continues to Jan. 5, the day before Epiphany, which is celebrated as the day the biblical wisemen encountered the newborn king. That 12-day time period celebrates the time it took for the wisemen to travel to Bethlehem to visit baby Jesus and offer him gifts.

While this custom is all but forgotten here in the U.S., just imagine if it weren’t!

Imagine if we actually took 12 days to soak in the miracle that is Jesus’ birth.

Imagine 12 days of shutting down work and paying closer attention to our families, friends and neighbors.

Imagine how much healthier we all may be if we collectively decided that for just this short time each year, less than a fortnight, relationships mattered more than productivity, people more than profits.

Just imagine …

It is likely far too late for us to launch this revolution in America now. After all, can you imagine trying to convince 300-plus million Americans that it is OK to hit the snooze button on work, school and progress for nearly two whole weeks? … We’d more likely see an actual unicorn first.

But here is my clever effort to plant a seed … an entire year in advance.

What if we started organizing the rebellion this week, the very first week of this year? What if we all agreed that come this time next year, we’re going to wake up the day after Christmas with our computers turned off, our phones on mute and our offices remaining locked?

Instead?

Instead we’ll graze a little bit more on the Christmas leftovers, play a few more board games, head to the local sledding hill, crack open a new book or album and linger over a few more lazy morning breakfasts with our loved ones.

What do you think my friends? How does that strike you?

Is it intriguing enough for you to join my “Christmastide Rebellion?” Write to me if you are in. I’m forming a committee. … Amen..

Devlyn Brooks is the CEO of

Churches United, a homeless shelter in Moorhead, and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, serving Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com.