You know the song – but do you know when it starts or finishes and why?  What are the real 12 days of Christmas?

Everyone knows the song and it has been sung by groups as wide ranging as Relient K to the Muppets. First recorded in a children’s book published in London around 1780, it has been an earworm ever since.  But do you know the meaning behind it?  What are the real 12 days of Christmas?  Europe and the US differ in celebrations.

The Fresh Toast – You know the song – but do you know when it starts? What are the real 12 days of Christmas.

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The 12 days of Christmas is the period during the holiday marking the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. It begins on December 25 (Christmas) and runs through January 6 (the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings’ Day). Advent, and the commercial advent calendars providing everything from Legos to chocolates to buzz is a different set of dates. The four weeks preceding Christmas are collectively known as Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on December 24.

The 12 days of Christmas ends at Epiphany (in the old South called Old Christmas). Epiphany is a Christian feast day falling on 6 January. It is when many Christians believe the Maji (also known as the Three kings or the Wise Men) followed the star to visit the newly born baby Jesus.  Epiphany become a declared a holiday as it comes from the Greek word meaning to reveal and it is the day when the baby Jesus was revealed to the world.  It is also called Three Kings Day.

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In the 6th century, the Catholic Church declared the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany (i.e. to just before midnight 5 January as Epiphany begins 6 January) as a sacred and festive season, and established the duty of Advent fasting in preparation for the feast. In modern times, Advent is known mostly through calendars providing little gifts.

In the United States, Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are the big celebrations. In Europe, while there is still the excitement over the 24th and 25th, Epiphany is also a big time for a feast, family and joy.

In Italy, good children receive gifts not only on Christmas, but also on January 6^th, in celebration of the Epiphany. Usually candies and small toys, these are whimsically said to be brought by La Befana, a kindly witch riding a broomstick.  For naughty children she leaves just a lump of coal.

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In France, the 6^th of January is ‘l’Epiphanie’ or ‘la journée des rois’ commemorates the visit of the three wise men to baby Jesus. It’s traditional in France to eat ‘la Galette des Rois’. French people will go to the bakery to buy this king’s cake or make it themselves.  Games and a crown are involved in the cake celebration and laughter should be generously added to the evening.

Both the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Catholic Church celebrate on 6 January, as opposed their feud over Easter.

Once it was something you had to go outside since you “forgot something in the car” – but now it has totally mainstreamed

The holidays have been filled with wine, eggnog and maybe one friend or relative who has been a bit over served. The stereotype is some of the younger cousins “forgetting something in the car” and having a little puff puff pass.  But as over 50% of the country has access to legal weed, those imagines need to move over for modern times. And now data suggests cannabis is a new holiday tradition.

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With the legal trend and states like Ohio, Arizona, Michigan,  and Alaska having full recreational cannabis, it has become very mainstreamed. Even Fox News has come around as a majority of their viewers believe in some type of legalization.  And, people age 65 and older are experimenting with marijuana more than any other age group.

TD Cowan released data to show marijuana continues to make inroads on alcohol. Viven Azur, from TD Cowan, is one of the top data and financial analysts in alcohol, cannabis and tobacco. According to data, states with access to legal cannabis marijuana are underperforming. Meanwhile, the 5-year alcohol volume for adult-use cannabis states has underperformed non-cannabis states.

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TD Cowen shared historically alcohol purchases have grown at a 5% annual rate. However, younger consumers are opting to go sober for longer. As marijuana mainstreams, Azur expects cannabis sales to grow 11% in 2023 and alcohol to grow 3% in 2023.  As cannabis consumers drink less, they report consuming cannabis on a more frequent basis.

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And BDSA, a leading data analyst company which also covers the cannabis space released surprising data.  Women have had a large embrace in use.  In fall of 2019 43% of marijuana consumers were woman, in spring of 2023 it moved ot 47%.  As the user market has grown, the portion of female users have grown with it.

Since women tend to drive holiday celebrations, meals and family gatherings, there almost equal use means marijuana is on the list of acceptable things more than before. And with the younger population drinking less and having a gummy more, it means a change during the festive season. So data suggests cannabis is a new holiday tradition and here to stay.

The holiday season for most people is a fun time of the year filled with turkey, celebrations, and family  and friend gatherings. Media reenforces is a merry good cheer time for everyone. But some some it is a time filled with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and anxiety. Marijuana may help holiday anxiety and depression.  During the holidays, 62% of respondents to a study described their stress level as “very or somewhat” elevated during the holidays, while only 10% reported no stress during the season.

There has been research confirming marijuana, in the right doses, can help with anxiety, sadness and depression.  Gummies are the most popular form of marijuana used. A portion are using them in a low-dose form to manage stress, depression and anxiety.

A Washington State study utilized a data-centric approach using human test subjects to reveal marijuana’s efficacy in treating depression, anxiety, and stress found in everyday life. Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the study concluded that “[c]annabis reduces perceived symptoms of negative affect in the short-term, but continued use may exacerbate baseline symptoms of depression over time.”

Utilizing information provided by the marijuana app Strainprint, which helps medical users tracks their cannabis doses and strains, researchers were able to examine how subjects used cannabis within the comforts of their home. As lead author on the study Carrie Cutler told Health Europa, that approach is a departure from previous research around mental illness and cannabis.

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“Existing research on the effects of cannabis on depression, anxiety and stress are very rare and have almost exclusively been done with orally administered THC pills in a laboratory,” Cutler said. “What is unique about our study is that we looked at actual inhaled cannabis by medical marijuana patients who were using it in the comfort of their own homes as opposed to a laboratory.”

According to their analysis, the researchers found that marijuana low in THC and high in CBD was most effective at reducing depression symptoms, while high-THC/high-CBD cannabis “was best for reducing perceived symptoms of stress.” Interestingly, the data also showed that women responded with larger decreases in anxiety after marijuana consumption than men.

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More specifically, 89,3% of all session saw significant drop-offs with depression symptoms after smoking marijuana. However, 3.2% of sessions had those symptoms exacerbated while 7.5% of session elicited no change. For session tracking anxiety and stress, more than 90% of sessions had significant reduction in those symptoms. Whether marijuana increased symptoms of anxiety and stress, or played no role at all, followed similar statistical patterns as the depression numbers.

“This is to my knowledge one of the first scientific studies to provide guidance on the strains and quantities of cannabis people should be seeking out for reducing stress, anxiety and depression,” Cutler said. “Currently, medical and recreational cannabis users rely on the advice of bud tenders whose recommendations are based off of anecdotal not scientific evidence.”

Anxiety and related disorders are among the most prevalent mental health conditions in the U.S. While antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications can be effective, they also come with significant side effects. As a result, some individuals are turning to alternative treatments, such as cannabis. But using cannabis comes with its own set of risks. “While it can be used as an alternative treatment for certain types of stress and anxiety, cannabis is not a one-size-fits-all solution and may not be suitable for everyone,” says psychiatrist Dr. Amanda Kingston.