Thursday, January 6, 2011

Happy Three Kings Day...



Today, people all over the world celebrate the arrival of the three wise men at Bethlehem to worship baby Jesus. This is the last major event of the Christmas season. Unfortunately, not a lot of people in the U.S. outside of the Latin communities are very familiar with this celebration of the epiphany.

Three Kings Day, celebrates the Biblical story of the three kings, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, who followed a star that led them to Bethlehem, where they brought baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The journey is believed to have taken 12 days, beginning on Dec. 25 and ending with their arrival on Jan. 6.


On the eve of Three Kings Day, children leave a shoebox filled with grass, sometimes accompanied by a glass of water or freshly polished shoes, under their bed or by the door to help the three kings and their camels along on their journey.


When children wake up on the morning of Three Kings Day, the grass and water will have been replaced with candy and small gifts, believed to have been consumed by the three kings and their camels. Family and friends will then gather for a feast and to sing the rosary and songs.

Happy Three Kings Day!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Toys 'R Us Christmas clearance starts today...



Toys 'R Us yearly Christmas items blowout sale starts today. All Christmas themed items, from Candy to Figures and everything in between will be markdown to 75% off. This is the time when I always pick up more Peanuts and Rankin Bass Holiday figures and playsets without having to pay the ridiculously high prices. If you've been wanting to pick up some holiday items that were originally too expensive now's the perfect time. You can display them in only 11 months!