Their work here is finished

So long, everyone, even you, lurking by the tree. See you next year. Stores are already putting the Valentine’s stuff out. It’s time to move on.

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The three kings made it okay

The three kings made it to Bethlehem and Brooklyn; Epiphany (the 12th day of Xmas) has come and gone and they are still on display. Elvis’ birthday was yesterday and no one noticed. The streets and sidewalks are icy. Trash is still piled high. It’s like the Christmas decorations and the holiday garbage are playing a game of chicken: “I’m not going anywhere until you do.”

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Second nativity scene of the season (detail)

Hurry, use the words frankincense and myrrh. You may not get another chance for 12 months.

This is another pic from Dyker Heights … a nativity scene that looks better in a photo than in person. Here is one of the Three Kings, those mysterious men from the orient, preparing to present his gift to the newborn Jesus. Christian traditions commonly have the wise men either present at Jesus’ birth or arriving on January 6, the Epiphany. Twelve days of feasting and celebrating the beginning of winter? The pagans had been doing that for centuries before Christians adapted the idea.

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