Epiphany Presents

In Spain, the feast of the Epiphany (when the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus) is a big deal.  In fact, when Madeleine and I lived in Santiago de Compostela, we saw more than one parade with no Santa where the Three Kings threw candy to the children.   

This year, we decided to hold back one of the girls' gifts for the feast of the epiphany.  It happened to be the one that requires the most work for us so part of our motivation was procrastination.

Every year, we give each of the girls a book inscribed with messages including memories of the year.  Since the girls have most of the kids' classics, it is a task to find a book worthy of being book of the year.  This year, the books were:  Madeleine, The Big Field by Mike Lupica, an author we discovered last summer.  If you like books with a sports theme, check him out.  The one we gave Madeleine is about a short stop, the position she plays on her softball team.  The night before we gave her the book, she tried to check it out at the library.  Chris was with her and discouraged her so she laughed when she opened her gift.  Mia opened Giggle, Giggle Quack one of another new series of books we came across recently.  It's about ornery farm animals trying to pull one over on the farmer.  Very cute.  For Grace, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems.  We love the pigeon books and have checked them out of the library many times but this is the first one we own.  Sophie got Knuffle Bunny, another book by Mo Willems and for Ella, Princess Baby, a book that must have been written for my niece Marianna.  It's about a baby who just wants to be called by her real name rather than "cupcake" or "sweetums".

Chris did a great job with his messages to the girls.  I thought I'd share a few of the things he wrote.  To Ella, "Wow you've changed a lot this year.  From a sleepy-eyed babe to a babbling little pup.  when I'm holding you, it brings tears to my eyes as you bite down on my finger with your four dagger-like teeth..."  To Madeleine, "you live in our house in a little room on the second floor as if you were an exchange student, always seeking your little alcove of privacy...you still love to play and dream and celebrate the moment.  Always keep a part of the child in your heart but please stop stealing your sisters' toys!"  And to Sophie, "I am so lucky because, more than anything, you love your Pa (a footnote- "pa" means pacifier or it's what the girls call their father on Little House on the Prairie).  What an honor.  You always want your Pa.  Wherever you are, wherever you go, "I want my Pa".  So sweet.  And you are so attached to your little Harriet.   You love her almost as much as your Pa.  You love her so much you could just eat her.  In fact, you did eat her left arm.  It hangs there torn and shredded because Grace pulled all the stuffing out of the gaping hole you made with your teeth..."  (I think that was my favorite).  My entries were a little more serious so I won't bore you with them but if you are lucky enough to read one of these books with the girls, they will definitely ask you to read what I've written!

I love the book tradition.  It was great this year to set the books apart from the other gifts.  We had so much fun taking turns opening them at dinner and reading our entries.  We even had a little story hour at the table.  Next year, I think we need to start about two months earlier but the effort is worth it.  The kids love the stories we've written about them as much as the stories in the books.