Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night brings to a close the Christmas season and has become an important night of ritual for me. I didn’t grow up with a Twelfth Night tradition but, as a child, it was the Star in the East, the Magi, and their gifts of frankincense and myrrh that most fascinated me. Could we ever see that star in our sky? Who were these wise men? And what were these strange gifts? I am amused to think now about how I haven’t stopped seeking answers to my questions about the stars, the East, healing essences and all the mystical questions I had as a little girl.

I also was and continue to be stirred by the music related to this celebration of the Wise Men’s arrival. As a kid it was We Three Kings. Then Little Drummer Boy got me thinking about “what gifts does a poor boy (or a young girl like myself) give the King?” And then more recently In the Bleak Midwinter poignantly grabbed me with the lines: “What can I give Him, poor as I am… I can give Him my heart.”

To me the questions of what gifts do I have and what gifts might I offer is the essence of the meaning not just of Twelfth Night but of the entire holiday season. Celebrating in gratitude for what I have with others and quietly contemplating the questions of what I might give and how I will serve comprise my ritual. Add a few candles by the yule log and music and it becomes, for me, a most special evening.

For a great, fun version of The Little Drummer Boy I highly recommend Eileen Ivers on the bodhran. Go to Facebook and look up Eileen Ivers Advent Tune-A-Day 16.

And among the beautiful versions of In the Bleak Midwinter, no one is better than Susan Doyle’s version on YouTube.

January 6th may be over, but as you put away your holiday trimmings, I invite you to take a few minutes to meditate on your gifts-both what you have and what you can offer- as we say goodbye to Christmas 2021.