Epiphany

Today is the day that I traditionally take down the Christmas decorations. I didn't have all that much to put away, just the tree and one nativity set.


Oh, yes, and put the bear's Christmas outfit away. Everything else got packed up during December's Great Water Disaster.

Why did I have even one Nativity out? Because it was a Christmas present from Mom. She bought it for me when the African Handcraft table visited our church.

This isn't the best picture of it, because you can't see some of the carved details. It was made in Kenya, and I believe it's carved from soapstone. There are a couple of interesting things about it. There are two Josephs and four Wise Men. I'm sure one of the Josephs is meant to be a shepherd, although it could be two shepherds and no Joseph. As for the Wise Men, Matthew never gives us a specific number. Three just happens to be a tradition that developed over the centuries. You have to look closely to see the fourth one, he's standing behind the Joseph closest to the Baby Jesus--it's not a shadow. It really is a beautiful set.

And here is a BBC video of the Three Kings Parade in Madrid Spain. Do I even want to know about the geese?

Peace,
Jeff