Traditions

On the evening of January 5th, J and M filled their shoes with hay and set them by the door in anticipation of the arrival of the three kings.

This was the first time our family had celebrated the Epiphany and J was excited at the prospect of getting yet another present.

El Dia de Los Reyes is a big deal in Latin American countries. My mom has told me stories of how this was the day they got their presents, not Christmas, and it was usually nothing more than a couple of pieces of candy. I have always found the story touching. A folksy tale of times past. I would imagine her and her 10 brothers and sisters setting out the shoes and going to bed with smiles on their faces just thinking of morning when they would delve into the delicious colaciones. (sugar balls covered in food coloring).

As a kid the day never went unnoticed. Our Christmas decorations stayed up until after that day had passed. Every once in a while we'd go to someone's house and have posole and rosca -- king cake -- and atole -- a cornmeal drink. It wasn't by any means a yearly tradition, yet I've never forgotten it. Each year, my own decorations stay up until after the 6th too. And that's about the extent of my Epiphany celebration.

But on the morning of January 6th, 2010, the camels had eaten their hay and the kings left J a small gift.

Two days after that, the moms' group hosted a party for the kids in honor of the occasion. They read stories and decorated crowns.

They followed in the footsteps of the kings and followed the star, which would lead them to the treasure; in this case, plastic gold coins and Rolos.

And, they ate King Cake. It was a fun morning for all of them, and I'm hoping that a little seed has been planted in J's brain about the meaning of the day.

That night, he had a friend over and he was going on and on about king coins and baby Jesus. Right now we're all at the learning stage of it. It's just words and phrases being tossed about by a five-year old but I hope that we can expand on it each year until all the pieces fit.

Christmas is the same way. I've yet to make the Jesus/Santa connection. It's a work in progress and hopefully I'll get it figured out before Mia is old enough to not believe anymore. It's worked out so far and I have to milk it for as long as I can.

In the end, it's about making memories. Just like the ones I talked about above. Somehow all the stories left their mark and years later I know that it matters. It matters enough to pass it on to my kids and I hope one day they too will remember, if only that.