Three Kings' Day

It's Three Kings' Day in Spain.

Used to be, kids got their gifts from The Three Kings. Nowadays, Spaniards have realized that adopting American Holidays makes for a great excuse to have Double Holidays. Hence, kids now get gifts from Santa AND The Three Kings, they dress up as chulapos for the Fiestas de la Almudena and as skeletons for Halloween. Works out just fine for everyone, unless you're commercial-holiday-averse like I am.

I just finished my roscon de reyes, a horrible dry dreary pastry that you're supposed to eat tonight. My mom offered to cook something palatable, but the Family wouldn't have it. It'd be traditional roscon or nothing, so roscon it was. Mom made sushi for dinner, so I guess she'd already filled her quota of extravagance and the roscon was her nod to tradition. I wish she hadn't felt she had to do that. Anything my mom cooks is better than that dry argh. Any day.

Now, we're supposed to hang our shoes out on the window, so the Three Kings can deposit gifts in them. Yes, it's shoes, not stockings, but the similarity to Santa Claus related activities is remarkable. What's so special about footwear that it attracts gifts from supernatural benefactors with logical and quantum capabilities?

Maybe we'll never know. But just in case, hang your shoes out the window tonight. There might be something in there in the morning. Possibly only snow, but you never know.