It’s a funny thing about the Feast of the Epiphany: On the one hand, it closes the celebration of the Christmas season. But, traditionally, it was also the start of a whole new season of celebration. With more darkness and the coldest days still ahead, our forebears wisely kept festivities going at least through Candlemas (Feb 2) if not all the way to the start of Lent, with Carnival season ending on Mardi Gras. It’s a modern mistake to strip away all the pretty lights, good food, and merry-making, just as winter is really setting in.
A big part of such Epiphanytide (yes, that’s a word) festivities was that they helped people to stay connected to other people. In the winter, seasonal depression can be exacerbated by the isolation that comes from wanting to semi-hibernate indoors - understandable though that urge is.