In my childhood, 6 January was a very special day, mostly because it was my mother's birthday! But it marked the end of our Christmas season -- we always left the decorations up until her birthday. I think we had some neighborhood friends who celebrated "Russian Christmas" (as celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox churches), but the word Epiphany was not in our common vocabulary.
My own awareness of Epiphany and the Twelve Days of Christmas grew during my liturgical training at Asbury Theological Seminary (1976-1979), and we have kept the tradition of keeping our Christmas decorations up through Epiphany all of our years in Kentucky. My tie shows a Christmas tree lit with candles, and it came to me from the collection of my father-in-law Robert Wollenweber. The very special "K" tie clasp is crafted from one of my mother's brooches, so I'm happy to wear it on her birthday (which would be #106)!
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