Wednesday, January 07, 2009

The season of celebrations

The Christmas season just ended yesterday, did you know that? Epiphany, traditionally celebrated as the day the three kings or wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. We celebrated in a small way: a rousing chorus of The Twelve Days of Christmas and a cake with a bean baked into it. The person who gets beans either has good luck through the year (of course we don't believe in luck) or is the king/queen of the celebration, depending on what tradition we follow. We just like cake. No one got the bean and the rest of the cake is going into the freezer for reasons that will be clear momentarily.

Actually, some Orthodox Christians are celebrating Christmas today. But we close Christmas on January 6, for two reasons: we're not Orthodox Christians, and because today we celebrate another birthday, my little girlie's, who is 10 today. Yes, we will be making another cake.

When I was pregnant with her I prayed that she would not be born during the Christmas season. Well, that prayer was answered; she is out of it by one day.

But it sure makes for a long season of celebration.

I like having the Christmas tree up through Epiphany. But my girl has told me that it's too depressing to take the decorations down on her birthday. So, I'll start tonight after she goes to bed and finish tomorrow. This was to be the year I really organized the Christmas stuff, but I think once again I'll be so sick of dealing with it I'll just get it all in the boxes as fast as I can with no thought to organization. Next year, right?

2 comments:

Sandy said...

My boys both have birthdays in November, with Thanksgiving. Mine is the week between Christmas and New Years so we try not to make a big thing of it. My younger daughter's birthday is the first week of January. One daughter has an Easter birthday and my husband's is the week of Father's Day. Couldn't anyone in this family have the sense to be born in the summer when there's nothing else going on?

G said...

Our Christmas season starts with my birthday a week before Christmas and goes right through Epiphany, so I know what you mean about a long Christmas season! I need to take our tree down today too, and maybe put the ornaments away nicely, maybe.

Happy Birthday to your girl!