May you be blessed with a happy and healthy and prosperous new year!
And a Happy Epiphany! Just a little trivia, do you all know that the "Twelve Days of Christmas" refers to the liturgical period of celebration from Christmas Day to the Epiphany on January 6? Count it up - 12 days. In some countries, Epiphany is still the traditional day of gift giving. We did that in our family until just a couple years ago, and I am considering going back to it. The children enjoyed getting stockings, books, and clothes on Christmas, but their "gold, frankincense, and myrrh" on Epiphany, just as Jesus did. (As a side note, my dear paternal grandfather, God rest his soul, made the manger for me as a wedding gift, and my mother painted these magnificent manger pieces as a gift for our first Christmas! This creche is very special.) Years ago, when I only had a couple children, I went to AC Moore and got three different shapes, a half-dozen of each (what foresight!), that reminded me of a box of gold, a bottle of incense, and a jar of myrrh. I painted and decorated them luxuriously, and I attach them to the children's packages each year. It's a really fun tradition, and helps remind the children that Christmas is about Jesus. As I was wrapping this year, and was running out of Christmas paper, it occured to me that I should be using birthday paper instead! So next year, the gifts may well be under the tree with "Happy Birthday" all over them.
May you be blessed with a happy and healthy and prosperous new year!
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AuthorWelcome to Growing Goodness! This website is dedicated to growing good things, both plants and children. It's a gardening blog with maternal overtones, as I discuss the goodness and value of plants, both wild and domestic. In the process I hope to help you pass a love of nature on to your children. Happy Gardening! Archives
August 2011
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