Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

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Christmas – ALL YEAR LONG

Posted by terrepruitt on April 30, 2018

Everyone is different, right? So, it might be too early for you to think about Christmas. But I am often thinking about Christmas. I am not a shopper. I do not like to GO shopping. I do most of my shopping online, so when I am out in a store, Christmas might come to mind if I see something cool. This month, April, I didn’t walk into the store specifically thinking about Christmas, but when I walked into the store and I saw something that reminded me of someone who is on my Christmas list THEN I start thinking about Christmas. On our recent trip to the ocean I found some items that I purchased with the intent of giving them as Christmas gifts.

I was talking to the store owner and I mentioned that most things in the pile of items she was holding at the register were going to be Christmas gifts. She mentioned that when she buys gifts so far in advance she forgets about them. Ha.Yes! I have had that happen too. I have forgotten that I have purchased gifts for someone and I ended up buying additional gifts for that person. I have also misplaced gifts that I have purchased throughout the year.

So a few years ago I started keeping a list on my computer. I have a “running” list of people who I buy for so after having given the gifts I just delete the items and save the list of names as “the next year of gift giving Christmas” (ex. 2018 Christmas). Sometimes I have room in one spot in a closet or on a shelf for all the gifts, but sometimes I don’t, so I also include a note on the list as to where the gift is being stored. That way I know where it is.

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Since I am an online shopper I also have a system for “ordered” and “received”. When I order something I type it on the list next to the person’s name in regular text and I highlight it. When I receive it, I remove the highlighting and make the text bold. Because sometimes I might have an IDEA of what I want to get someone and I might include that on the list . . . so if the item is just plain text that is the IDEA of the gift. Highlighted is WAITING FOR/ORDERED/IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING and BOLD is received/completed.

I also cross the items out and put “Done!” near the names when I am done with buying for that person, otherwise I will just keep reviewing the items and deciding whether to add more or not.

This could work for any gifts you might buy throughout the year.  You could have a Birthday Gift List or whatever occasion you purchase gifts for.

What about you?  Do you shop early for gifts?  Have you ever forgotten or misplaced a gift? 

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Christmas 2017

Posted by terrepruitt on December 25, 2017

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

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Ornaments On The Christmas Tree

Posted by terrepruitt on December 22, 2017

Ahhhh.  A few days before Christmas.  I hope you all are able to enjoy at least a few moments.  Here is my Friday Photo, just a close up shot of our some of the decorations on our Christmas tree.

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2017 – Tax Day, Tuesday, April 18th

Posted by terrepruitt on April 12, 2017

In case you didn’t know I thought I would let you know.  If you are like me and you wait until the last minute then you might really appreciate having the extra day.  I am talking about when the taxes are due this year (2017).  The tax due date, April 15th, falls on a Saturday this year, so that would automatically make the due date Monday, April 17, 2017.  But this year, there is a holiday to thank for the extra day.  A holiday, what holiday you might ask?  Well, I did, too.  I initially saw the tax date on my tax forms (What?  Oh, when I said I wait until the last minute I meant I wait until the last minute to prepare my paperwork to take to my tax person with whom I have a standing appointment.  So SHE keeps me from being last minute to the government.)  So the paperwork that I was having to deal with said that taxes were due on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.  I didn’t understand why, I know the if-the-15th-falls-on-a-Saturday-or-Sunday-roll-to-Monday-rule, but the 15th is on a Saturday so I didn’t understand why there was an extra day to file.  Well, it is Sunday that is a Holiday.  So, that means, MONDAY is the “observed” holiday.  With this holiday the closest business day is the “observed” holiday.  So when it falls on a Sunday, it is observed on a Monday.

Holiday?  What holiday do you say?  It is DC Emancipation Day.  The day Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District on April 16, 1862.   It would be another nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed freeing slaves in the confederate states.  So this holiday, which was signed into law as a holiday in 2005, is a city holiday and not a federal holiday, so only the local government in Washington DC is closed.

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According to an article on WhiteHouseHistory.org, the celebrations for this holiday have come and gone and come back again.  And according to all the information I have found* on the internet, the celebrations and parade for this holiday took place on Saturday, April 8th.  Some saying due to Easter also falling on Sunday, April 16, 2017.

I love how we move things around to make it work.  That is what my mom used to do.  We celebrated Christmas when we could all get together.  We celebrated our birthdays when we could all get together.  It didn’t really matter the day, it was more about the celebration.

Anyway . . . there is just a little information as to why tax day in the U.S. is being delayed a few days.  But, really, you know if feels so good when they are done.  So get them done.  By now it is only a few days early, but it will still feel GREAT!  Good luck!

*Washington’s Top News
About.com

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Sweet And Spicy Mixed Nuts

Posted by terrepruitt on September 14, 2016

So, this is kind of a “cheat” because it is so close to the Sweet and Savory Mixed Nuts, ha, in fact it is, but with minor changes.  But there were enough for me to have to make note of it and I thought I might as well put it online since having recipes online helps me a lot.  Plus I thought someone else might want to make the sweet and savory nuts sweet and spicy nuts.  I actually did not try them because I knew they would be too hot for me.  The last time I made them I put one packet of crushed red peppers in them and my hubby said that it was not really that hot.  So this time I upped a few things.

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Sweet and Spicy Mixed NutsDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

–1 cup raw unsalted almonds
–1 cup walnuts
–1 cup raw unsalted pepitas
–1 cup raw unsalted pecans
–2 tablespoons olive oil
–1 tablespoon and 2.5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
–1 teaspoon thyme
–1 teaspoon crushed rosemary leaves
–1 HEAPING teaspoon rosemary leaves
–1 teaspoon cumin
–1 teaspoon salt
–1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
–1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
–3 packets of crushed red peppers / flakes
–sea salt
–brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitMix the nuts together.  Mix the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, cumin, salt, syrup cayenne pepper, and ONE packet of crushed red peppers together.  Then mix in the nuts.  Stir to make sure nuts are well coated.  Then spread the nuts out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Spread the nuts out, you want them somewhat in just one layer.  Then, sprinkle with one packet of crushed red peppers / flakes, bake at 350° F for 10 minutes.

Then stir the nuts and spread them out again, making at thin layer.  Sprinkle with another packet of crushed red peppers / flakes, some sea salt,  AND brown sugar (not a lot, just a sprinkle over all of the nuts) bake for 10 more minutes.

Then stir the nuts one more time and let bake for 10 more minutes.

Then take them out of the oven to cool.  You have a choice while cooling, you can stir them to break them up or you can let them cool in one big chunk or chunks.  It depends on how you like to eat your nuts.

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Basically, let nuts and more of everything else, and the addition of the crushed red peppers / flakes.  That is what the original recipe, the one my friend made for us for Christmas, had in it.  But I don’t like spicy hot so I adjusted the recipe.  I was originally making the nuts for me, since my hubby doesn’t normally like nuts.  But when I make them he liked them so I make more – as I said with one packet of crushed red peppers / flakes, but that wasn’t enough, so I added more.  I think it might be enough.

I mean I could just continue adding more until they are just hot nuts, but the sweet needs to come through, too.  I wish I could taste them.  I just can’t/won’t because a burning mouth is just not comfortable for me.

I think next time I will experiment with adding another flavor, like GARLIC!

So, do you like spicy food?  Would these work for you, ya think?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Sweet and Savory Mixed Nuts

Posted by terrepruitt on August 22, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitEvery year at Christmastime my three friends and I gather for what I call “Christmas with the Girls.”  We have been doing it since were 18, so I’ll just say decades!  Well, when one of us four moved away it was sad.  We couldn’t have the four of us meet for Christmas.  Three of us still meet.  There is usually eating, drinking, opening of gifts, laughing and visiting.  Well, last year our distant friend sent us some mixed nuts.  She had made Sweet-and-Spicy Mixed Nuts from a Bon Appétit recipe.  They were pretty good.  A little spicy for me as they had crushed red pepper flakes in them, but they were good.  I thought I could just leave the peppers out when I made them.  The recipe also calls for maple syrup.  We didn’t have maple syrup.  When I would go to the store I would forget to buy some.  Plus I was thinking I needed a couple of tablespoons and I didn’t want to buy a whole bottle for just that.  So I kept putting off making the recipe.  Eventually I did buy the nuts (from Amazon).  But when I went to the store I kept forgetting the syrup.  Finally one day I remembered to buy the syrup and it was sitting on the counter and my husband says, “What did you buy maple syrup for?”  And I explained the whole thing to him.  He says, “We have maple syrup.”  He explained to me that someone went to Vermont and had asked him if he wanted anything and he said, “Maple syrup.”  So she had brought a little bottle back.  It probably would have been the perfect amount.  Oh well, I am sure I will make these nuts again.  Although I did not use the recipe my friend used.  I ended up making something up.  I am not too big on the spicy so I didn’t use any crushed pepper flakes.

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Sweet and Savory Mixed NutsDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

–1 1/2 cup raw unsalted almonds
–1 cup walnuts
–1 cup raw unsalted pepitas
–1 cup raw unsalted pecans
–2 tablespoons of olive oil
–1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce
–1/2 teaspoon thyme
–1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary leaves
–1/2 teaspoon cumin
–1 teaspoon salt
–1/3 cup and 1 teaspoon maple syrup
–tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Put all the nuts on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Put the pan in the oven, letting the nuts roast, for 10 minutes.  In a big bowl mix the olive oil, worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, cumin, salt, maple syrup, and sprinkle of pepper all together.  Then put the nuts in the bowl and mix.  Coat the nuts with the mixture.  Then transfer all the nuts back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  Let the nuts toast/bake for 20 minutes, but toss them occasionally.

Allow nuts to cool before storing.

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This makes a flavor snack.  And, of course, you can use whatever type of nuts you like.  And perhaps futz with the amount of spices and herbs.

Now I need recipes that call for maple syrup.

Do you like mixed nuts?  Do you have any recipes that call for maple syrup?

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Busy Time Of Year

Posted by terrepruitt on December 8, 2015

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitIT’S CHRISTMASTIME.  I love this time of year.  Yes, I tend to get a bit crazed because I want to have my house sparkly clean, then all decorated, then have the presents all under the tree, the Christmas cards on their way in the first week of December.  And the CRAZED part comes in because unless I start doing some of this in November it just doesn’t happen.  So then I start having to take shortcuts.  I even posted about Letting Go before — I’ve actually written a few posts about letting go, but one specifically about Christmas – it turns out, in 2010, I thought it was last year.  I am nowhere near sparkly and Christmas cards are still on the radar, but I have no idea when.  One of the things that tends to get me a bit crazed it coming up with stuff to write.  I don’t always have ideas.  I want to post stuff that you will read, but sometimes, I just can’t come up with things.  I even posted about that before, too.  I skipped/missed two Saturdays because I was busy and even though I remembered in time, I didn’t remember in enough time to think of something AND write it.  So, tonight, I decided to take the pressure off by just posting what I have been doing that is taking up my time.  I don’t have time to think of stuff and research it and . . . well, life gets busy and sometimes priorities change.  I have been having a good time.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitOver the Thanksgiving weekend I met Rocky.  I like birds so I was trying to make friends with him.  I would visit with him everytime I walked by his cage.  The first time I heard him “meow” I ran into where he was and started recording . . . and all he would do was make that “drip” noise.  This went on for about a day and a half.  The last few hours it crossed my mind that he was not making a DRIP noise, but the noise that my iPhone makes when I turn begin to record.  What do you thing?  I am not convinced that is what it was.  (The other bird noises in the video are his “music” his dad turns on for him.)  He is a very smart and very pretty bird.

Birds are so amazing.  But they are very messy and they require a lot of attention.  They are animals that were created to fly.  When they are kept in cages they want attention.  They want attention like any pet.

 

So, I’ve been cleaning, putting up the tree, decorating the house, and entertaining cats.  In another post I will share some of the other decorations . . . this is it for now.

One of my girls is calling.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit

How is your Christmas Season going so far?  Are you ready for Christmas?

 

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Cancelling A Tradition

Posted by terrepruitt on April 4, 2015

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYoWell, I just had to do it. And it is making me kind of sad.  But apparently it has been a long time coming.  I wrote about it in 2011.  So, it has been five years.  It is an end of an era.  As I typed the letter I remembered a time when I waited to open the package until my husband got home.  It was an exciting moment for me.  It was like a big reveal.  He did not care as much as I did, but it was exciting to me.  Every year I would get excited to see what pretty design they used for the snowflake.  What color the “gems” would be.  But the last two years I opened it with trepidation.  Was I going to have to go through the trouble of sending it back?  Well, this year, I didn’t have to go through the trouble of sending it back because when I called and said it was not acceptable they just said to discard it.  And they sent me a new one.  Yeah, I dreaded opening it too.  And for good reason.  The “gems” are all crooked and not quite where they should be.  My Lenox ornaments are something I collected.  They were something I treasured.  Well, this was it.  I am cancelling my annual snowflake subscription.  I really don’t see the point in paying for something of which the quality continues to get worse and worse.  So I am sending off a letter of cancellation.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYoSilly, I know.  But, to me it is always a little sad when a well loved tradition must be stopped.  There are many reasons traditions and customs must change.  Some of those reasons are good.  But when something has to stop because it just isn’t worth it any longer, that is sad.  I could continue to receive them and have that feeling of dread when I do.  I think the package actually sat on my counter for a few days before I even bothered to open it this year.  See?  Not that same.  Not the same as being so excited to open it you want to share the experience with your loved one.  Not.  The.  Same.

I know this is silly, but . . . . since I brought it up a few years ago, I thought I might as well do a follow up.  Plus, if you have seen any of my pictures at Christmastime you have seen my Lenox ornaments.  They are so pretty and sparkly I always take photos of them and I always share.  So, you are familiar with my love of them.  Sigh.

Handcrafted really is not a good selling point unless the quality of it is good.  And, the boxes say, “American By Design”.  Means nothing, especially when the quality is bad.

When I think about cancelling, I don’t want to.  I still want to receive my pretty ornament each year.  But then when I think about the dread and the quality I have been receiving . . . I just gotta do it.

Perhaps there is another collector type of ornament I can collect?  Do you have anything you collect?

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Goodie Jar Share

Posted by terrepruitt on March 7, 2015

I am still doing my Goodie Jar, are you?  I know there are a ton of versions out there.  Some people have “Happiness Jars” or “Smile Jars”.  Some people have a goal of putting something in the jar every day.  Some people’s goals are for once a week.  Of course, none of the “rules” matter really, except the one that motivates you to remember your blessings.  That is really the point.  To have a little reminder of the blessings or things that make you happy, things that make life worth living.  There is so much going on in the world and in our lives it is sometimes easy to get distracted.  The jar — however you utilize it, is just a way of reminding yourself about the good.  Good things in the Goodie Jar.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYoMy hubby and I are using ours.  I have Christmas wrapping paper cut up.  And some other pretty wrapping paper.  We have little sheets of note paper.  All kinds of papers to use.  Plus we both are putting our tickets in there.  We have been blessed with Sharks tickets so those go in the Goodie Jar – win or lose, because a night out with each other is a WIN for us!  It turns out that the San Jose Sharks lost, but it was a really exciting game.  Or . . . to me it was.  I know that people who go to more games than me might have a different opinion, but I thought it was exciting.  I am much better at actually tracking the puck.  I still “lose” it sometimes, but not as much as my first game.  Hockey is so much more exciting and action packed than baseball.

Then there is our trip a couple of weekends ago.  That is DEFINITELY a Goodie Jar item.  That was a well needed trip.  And it was so wonderful.  The weather was awesome.  I bet if we had gone this weekend it would have been too hot for me.  It seems the weather is warming up here.

Then there is our beef.  That is always a good Goodie Jar item.  I have explained before how lucky I am that my hubby will eat pretty much anything.  And he loves beef.  So he has been pretty good about my experimenting with cooking the grass-fed beef we bought.  It cooks so differently than regular beef.  It is just mind-blowing.  I was in a rush tonight as the game started 30 minutes earlier than I realized.  I put the steak in a really hot oven and hoped for the best.  It cooked well even though it didn’t look cooked–as usual.  The flavor was meat, which I don’t prefer, but . . . it was dinner.  And dinner helps us not need to eat the food at the game.

I still have Nia students in my Nia classes.  The San Jose City Nia classes are really going well.

So many things to be thankful for.  So many things that will bring a smile to my face at the end of the year!  Filling up that jar!  Yipee!  It is really nice to have something to document the smiles.

Well?  Are you doing a jar?  What type?  What are your “rules”?  Got any good things you want to share?

 

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Twelve Days of Christmas

Posted by terrepruitt on January 6, 2015

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA,So I always thought the Twelve Days of Christmas were the days LEADING up to the 25th. It was about 2009 when I was talking with one of my Nia students about Christmas and taking down the tree and decorations that she mentioned it. She is quite savvy when it comes to etiquette, traditions, and customs so she said something about waiting until the Epiphany. And I didn’t know what she was talking about. She said she didn’t take her tree down until January 6th. I did like the sound of that because it was a date in January. Usually we take our tree down the weekend after New Year’s Day. I need help as there is so much packing to do. That is the worst part to me. I hate putting everything in its own box. But I will not just put all of my ornaments into those ornament holder boxes . . . . OH NO WAY! So, yes, I cause my own misery. Thankfully I have a husband who helps. I take stuff down and hand it to him with the box and he puts it in. He gets to sit and “relax” and watch a movie and I get my ornaments put in their original boxes. Yay. This year on the day we typically would have taken down the tree, I just didn’t want to. I wasn’t ready. We were gone for – what I think of as – a long time so I felt as if I “missed” some days of Christmas decorations. Plus I knew it would take longer than one day and I had a Nia Class at the YMCA on Sunday so I knew we wouldn’t get it all done. We decided that I would start this week and we would finish this weekend. This is when I said that we could abide by the “whatchmacallit?”, ya know the days after Christmas? The . . . I couldn’t remember so I had to look it up. The day my Nia student had referred to was the Epiphany. But when I looked it up there were some other days I don’t ever remember hearing about.

Could be that I didn’t know about these dates because they look as if they are related to the catholic faith. At least the website that I found is. My family was once catholic, but we stopped going to a catholic church before I had to go through all of my catechism classes and take my first communion.

The website states the below:

“What are the other feast days and holy days during the Christmas season?

In addition to Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas and Mary, Mother of God, Catholics celebrate:

The Feast of the Holy Family, honoring Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a family. It is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas or on December 30. When Christmas falls on Sunday, it is celebrated December 31.

The Epiphany, the oldest of the Christmas feasts, is also known as Three Kings Day for the three magi who found the Christ Child after following a star to Bethlehem. It is celebrated on Jan. 6 and is the major holiday of the Christmas period in the Eastern Church.

The Baptism of Our Lord brings the Christmas season to a close. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Epiphany.”

So basically what this timeline is telling me is that the Christmas season comes to a close on January 11 this year. Which is pretty perfect because that is when I hope to have all of our Christmas decorations taken down and stored away.

I really thought the Twelve Days of Christmas were the days LEADING up to the 25th. So that is why I am not familiar with the Epiphany. If I knew the Twelve Days STARTED on Christmas, then I would have “got” the whole Epiphany thing.

Am I the only one? Did you know what the Twelve Days of Christmas were?

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