Our Epiphany Celebration

Well I had some fun plans for this year's Epiphany celebration, but because we all ended up getting sick and I was out of commission, it was very simple! I even bought store bought cupcakes (aahhh!) to have as treats for the girls and managed to sneak a quarter in them when they weren't looking! Luckily, I had done my shopping early with Christmas sales at Catholic Child and saved some stocking stuffers from Christmas for the Epiphany. We only do Christmas stockings for each other on Christmas and then each get three gifts on the Epiphany to remember the story of the wise men and the gifts baby Jesus received. The girls got a couple neat videos and books from Catholic Child and also some new animal puppets!! Hopefully next year we won't be sick and we can celebrate a little more! Always bittersweet when the Epiphany arrives because I know that the Christmas decorations and tree and nativity are all being put away until next year....

Happy Epiphany!!

We had a lot of fun celebrating the Epiphany today. We started with eating some delicious Gift of the Magi Bread for breakfast, which looks just as pretty as is tastes!! Says it will make two big loaves, so I managed to get one big loaf and then two small ones to give away out of the recipe. Then we read the Nativity story and really focused and learned about the Wise Men (I definitely need to get a Three Kings book for next year!) Angel enjoyed telling me all about the story after that and we must have listened to the Music on the Three King snow globe we have about a thousand times!! I cut out a paper crown (I am no Martha Stewart so don't laugh) and had Angel color it to wear later...Emma tried to help but Angel wasn't too fond of sharing and Emma still mostly wanted to color the furniture. We decided instead of a King Cake we would make cupcakes. So Angel put on her new apron she got from Aunty Megs and Marmee from NYC and "helped" me make the yummy chocolate cupcakes....I actually only have one 12 muffin tin and since the recipe made 24, I decided just to make 3 mini cakes...perfect for the Three Kings. Angel is actually getting very good at holding and dumping the ingredients...but by far her favorite part is still licking the beaters!! I then colored the icing yellow to symbolize the gold crowns and decorated them as best I could to look like crowns. And of course, one of them held a hidden coin and whomever finds it at dessert gets to wear the crown and hand out the presents!! And the winner was ANGEL!! She was very excited and I think a little confused by there was money in her food! So she put on the crown and eagerly started handing the gifts out. Three gifts for everyone (just like baby Jesus received)....and Angel enjoyed opening (I mean helping) them all! Emma liked her gifts but really wanted some of Papa's gummy bears!! It was a fun day for us, filled with focus and meditation on the Journey of the Three Kings and lots of new traditions on how we will celebrate it. I would like to come up with a traditional King Feast for dinner (last night we just did chicken curry) and would also like to add a House Blessing.....I am sure things will change over the years, but these little activities today really made the Epiphany come alive and help even Angel have an understanding about this special day. Happy Epiphany (and remember the Christmas season isn't over until Sunday this year!)