Epiphany

Upon putting up my Christmas decorations this year, which I had not anticipated doing so extensively because I thought my student and I would spend Christmas Quebec-style among my folks in Canada (days prior to her arrival, AFS was informing us of the new rule: it was no longer possible to take our student outside of the US border), I came across two pictures that really moved me. About 11 years ago, when my three boys (my three own wise men !) were little, we put together a Nativity scene using their Playmobil figurines and dressing them up with scraps of fabric. It was such a lovely result that we used the picture in our greeting card, along with a family picture taken during our most recent travel, in Vancouver, Canada. I also remember with great fondness Youri's drawing of ''La Maison de Jésus'' (AKA ''la crèche'' or Nativity scene) years prior, when he was about 5. It was so touching to see my children being in awe of the true spirit of Christmas, which is peace, light and love. Having wise people follow a star to guide them towards a very special and luminous baby is a very joyful story (you might not be that surprised to hear that I have my own feminist version of the visitors, the Wise Women or ''Reines Magettes'', enacted with dolls to my boys many Christmases ago).

So January 6th is ''La fête des Rois Mages'' or ''Dia de Los Reyes'' and the twelfth day of Christmas (I am not sure why I got it all wrong when I started paying attention to this at the end of December 2025... for some reason, I thought it started at the Solstice LOL. Oh well, I will know for next year. It's easy: it starts AFTER the Advent Calendar ! Of course, the consumeristic before the ancestral...).

I also like ''epiphany'' as the word to describe this celebration. Better than the tradition of the hidden pea in a cake that would determine who was king and queen at my high school when I was a teenager. Manifestation or profound insight are more meaningful concepts for me now. I don't need the extra cake or sugar.

January 6th or the twelfth day of Christmas seems to also be the day of a perfect excuse for my procrastination as I am dragging my feet in putting all the decorations back under the stairs. I can still legitimately light up my Christmas trees while some neighbors already packed theirs days ago. I am not a stop-and-go type of person when it comes to celebration. My rhythm is slow for these things. Putting that much effort in decorating needs to be mirrored by a quiet and still admiration of all the lights during a period of equal duration. I need to slowly let go of so much... Of what took place during Christmas. And what didn't.

Is there such a thing as post-grief stress syndrome, the mourning version of PTSD ? That's what I have been feeling since yesterday evening... 

At last, it's good to have the sun and blue sky back after that many days of rain... Epiphany ! Light ! Star ! Manifestation !

May this new year bring you extra clarity so that the light continues to flow in.

Happy Day of the Wise and the Luminous everyone, happy 2026 !

In peace,

Caroline