Epiphany 2016! Christmas is finally over!

During this festive time of year many of us leave our Christmas decorations up throughout the New Year celebrations, and of course rich people with all their nonstop parties and carrying on most certainly do the same.

So then, when everybody here on the estate got back to work on Monday January 4, our Italian grounds keepers Maurizio and Dario immediately set to work taking down all the door wreathes and thousands of tree lights around the house and grounds.

Then yesterday they came inside to dismantle the gigantic twelve-foot Christmas tree in the entrance hall. When we were half way done taking down the ornaments, the Mister came downstairs and growled "No, no! Lets not do that until Epiphany."

We were dumbfounded! This is not a Catholic house. We do not celebrate the full twelve days of Christmas like they do. So what's this all about?

Most of the staff here including myself are Catholic, so we didn't mind this one bit. But in the entire history of this house the Twelve Days have never been celebrated all the way to the end.

As I mentioned before, the new girlfriend hasn't been around for awhile, but I'm remembering now that she was Catholic. She hung a small cross in her dressing room upstairs when she first started coming here, and she has the most exquisite string of heirloom genuine pearl Rosary beads I think I've every seen. So perhaps her influence lingers on, and the old man has responded in kind. Who knows?

In any case, today is finally the last day of Christmas 2015!  The Epiphany, Three Kings Day, whatever you want to call it. The Magi have arrived, and we're done.

It's time now to move on, right? In fact the supermarkets and drug stores are already putting out Valentine's candy. I guess tomorrow we'll take down the tree, and that's that.

Thanks for dropping by tonight. Again, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and let me be the first to say Happy Valentine's Day!

Andrew