Sunday was Epiphany, or Little Christmas, the day celebrating the arrival of the Three Kings bearing gifts in Bethlehem. I know of families who celebrate the feast by exchanging little gifts on this day.

My ‘little gifts’ weren’t wrapped in paper, but moments that will make this Christmas memorable.

During our ‘Annual Christmas Ohio Loop Tour’, (4 1/2 days which includes the driving, 6 cities and 4 different beds), we anticipated dry weather and temps in the 40’s – great for driving but not what I like for Christmas in Ohio. We arrived at Dad’s at 11 in the evening and by 11:15 it was snowing. 

Dad and I talked until 1 in the morning. When I went to bed I heard an odd noise come from the living room. It took only 2 or 3 notes to realize Dad was serenading me with Silent Night . . . on his harmonica. No notes were ever sweeter.

I like to shop locally-owned businesses as much as I can. My hometown has a new candy store, The Candi Bar.  Need I say more?

Because of our tight travel schedule, we limit whom we visit – namely my dad, hubby’s mom, and our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Seeing a friend at Saturday evening mass, in a neighboring town no less, and getting to visit several minutes was a gift because normally neither of us would have been there.

One sister gave my other sister and me tickets so we three could attend what was billed as A Living Christmas Tree. I expected a choir assembled on risers forming a tree. I got two of those . . . in addition to a drama complete with costumes rich in color and texture, and live sheep, donkeys and camels that processed through the aisles.

And this Sunday, Epiphany, we opened our home for a Winter Literary Gathering for the writer and poet groups I belong to. There were the usual gifts – food, wine, laughter and our selected readings. But the added gifts were the books and magazines collected to donate to 2nd Glance, 2nd Chance – Lancaster County Literacy Network’s book shop.Epiphany is also our church’s official end of the Christmas season . . . so our tree with Criss Angel has to come down. But my winter lights will stay up.

And those green balls on the candy plate? They’re chocolate-mint malted milk balls and they taste heavenly melted in hot chocolate. And I have some left  😉

What ‘little gifts’ did you receive this Christmas?