Christmas day to Baptism of the Lord—celebrating Christmas all season

We hear every year that we should keep the whole Christmas season—that is, from Christmas Eve until the Baptism of the Lord. In our culture, where Christmas trees are taken down Dec. 26, it can be hard to know how to keep the celebration of the season going .

My mother was a professional at celebrating a Catholic Christmas. Before I was old enough to remember it, she began putting on an Epiphany skit with my older brothers. It involved the kids acting out the Three Kings as they search the skies for the star of wonder that will lead them to the newborn King of the Jews. They encountered Herod, the slimy king. Eventually, they make their way to the stable and offer the Christ child their gifts. The play itself is really entertaining for the kids who are involved, but my mom sweetened the deal by making Epiphany a true party. Namely, we got to eat a “King’s Crown” cake: a Bundt cake that was frosted with yellow icing and covered in gumdrop “gems.” After our play was complete, we received one final Christmas present. This was her way of showing us, for real, that Christmas was not over yet!

For the kids in my family, costumes were easy: bathrobes plus cut out paper crowns and (poof!) you’re a king! It doesn’t matter if there is one king or seven kings. All kids got to be kings. Dad always had to settle for being greasy King Herod. He got a bathrobe and a paper crown as well. Some years we surrounded him with a menagerie of stuffed animals to complete the Herodian look: tigers, lions, cheetahs, flamingoes, whatever we could steal from the kids’ beds. As my older brothers aged out of being kings, they became King Herod’s evil henchmen and sat at his side, menacingly leering at us young kids. One year, during the Herod segment of the play, my four-year-old sister socked my dad and called him. “Bad, Herod!” Mom was the director/angel. This meant that the play starts when she turned off the lights, handed us a flashlight and herded us upstairs to begin the singing of “We Three Kings” while looking intently out every window for The Star of Bethlehem. After a while we learned that it helps to print out the words of the song before you start!

In cloudy years, I recall my mother pointing out a bright streetlamp in lieu of a star. The kings meander around until all their singing and all the windows of the house have been exhausted. They encounter King Herod who seems very surprised to learn of another king. He reminds these kings to return and tell him where to find the newborn King of the Jews so that he may go and worship him. After the play, you can add some gravitas to the situation by explaining the murder of the Holy Innocents to the kids old enough to handle it. Next, the kings make their way to the family Nativity scene and kneel down to present their gifts to the Christ child. In our family, we take this opportunity to pray a decade of the rosary. Civil war seems to break out if we attempt more than one decade. So, we keep the prayers short and sweet. After praying, the kings went to sleep and mom/angel appeared and told us to return to our country by another path because King Herod meant to do harm to the Baby Jesus.

That concluded the play and we move on to the dinner table. My mom set the table for dessert with a present waiting for each of us on our plates. We ate our symbolic “King’s Crown” cake and had tea.

Moms stare at me with open mouths when I explain this family tradition, but please understand that it is really a beautiful experience to give your children. My parents began it when we were very young. They eventually got parental fatigue during our teenage years, but we insisted they continue the tradition! Now they do it with their grandchildren who live in town. So, if it appeals to you, it might have some staying power. If just the present and cake idea appeals to you—feel free to copy and paste it into your life. I am in favor of all the ways that we can make the Christmas season last.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!
 
Mary Rose is a parishioner of St. Anthony’s Church in Fargo. She is the mother of four children.