Twelfth night

Is this Twelfth Night or not? If you count Christmas Day as the First day of Christmas, then tonight is Twelfth Night, and all decorations, apart from a sprig of holly or greenery, should be down. But if you take Boxing Day as the First Day of Christmas, then it's tomorrow. And I was brought up with January 6th, Feast of the Epiphany, being Twelfth Night. But this year, and today, I've taken the decorations down, and the tree stands bare in the hall waiting to be carried outside. The baubles are wrapped in their tissue paper and packed into the old box, and the cards lie waiting to be trimmed into gift tags with a pair of pinking shears. And although I had to change three bulbs on the light sets at the start of the Feast, I haven't had to touch them since. We'll see how many still work when I unpack them at the end of this year.

The crib scene has been dismantled, and Mary, Joseph and the child now await the arrival of the Magi. That second version of the Crib will remain up until Candlemas, February 2nd, as will the illuminated star on the top of the church tower, as well as the one on the front of my house. A note of explanation will be attached to the garden fence.

I have managed to get the Christmas boxes away into the hall cupboard, but I can see that there is going to have to be a bit of a sort out later on. I have old suitcases piled in there which are filled with costumes, art materials, and camping equipment. I think they will have to be culled, maybe as part of Spring-cleaning.

I host my monthly Coffee Morning tomorrow, and the marmalade is bubbling on the stove. We move into the season of Light and Revelation. What Wise Men will knock at my door tomorrow? As is the custom in Eastern Europe, I shall put the initial letters K M G there to welcome them in place of the now-removed Christmas wreath.