Epiphany & Thanks, Irene!

The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25 and continue until January 6th, Epiphany, the traditional day on which the Three Wise Men arrived at the house where Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus were. In some countries, such as Puerto Rico and Spain, the Day of the Three Kings is one on which the children receive gifts. In Spain there are street festivals on January 6.

I usually do not begin to take down my Christmas decorations until Jan 7th. January 6 has even been the day of my last holiday entertaining with a tea or supper for close friends. Today, however, I was invited out for a wonderful luncheon and visiting with friends. It ran from 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Yesterday, Saturday January 5, the afternoon mail brought a gift for me from Greece. Irene of the Happy Turtle and The Green Greek blogs sent me a package. Inside were a red hardbound 2008 appointment book and a Greek edition of House and Garden magazine.

Irene also sent a lovely nativity greeting card, which I am glad to add to my collection.

It was nice to receive Irene’s gift on the eve of Epiphany, which commemorates the wise men presenting their rich gifts to the newborn King. [As it turns out, Irene’s Jan. 5 post is titled "Holy Epiphany" and gives insight into celebrations by the Greek Orthodox church. Those celebrations celebrate the start of Christ’s mission upon His baptism.]

Thinking of the visit of the Magi made me reflect on how we might each present our own gifts to Christ in the New Year. Many of us have made New Year’s resolutions. In further developing and carrying out these resolutions on how we will live in 2008 we might consider,

What shall I bring to the Lord,
The God of heaven,
When I come to worship Him?
Micah 6:6

My hope is that we will each be mindful of ways to present gifts to our Savior as we carry on our daily and monthly activities in 2008.