I am in North Carolina with my kids and inlaws.
It is the first Christmas that I am out of NYC in like 7 years, so I’m pretty sure that they are declaring a State of Emergency there as I speak.
The first day that we got here, my mother-in-law got out a manger set and the kids set it up. It was tons of fun (by which I mean that everyone left me the hell alone), except at some point Young Ladrinka asked for scotch tape because “the little baby is not sticking to the sheep.” But my mother-in-law showed him where baby Jesus belongs and peace and serenity were restored.
I didn’t want to alarm anyone, but one of the participants in the manger scene appeared to be of color, so I emailed Husbandrinka to let him know.
“That’s one of the wise men, Balthazar, I think,” Husbandrinka emailed back. Okay, but why is he topless and wearing an Aladin hat.
Husbandrinka didn’t know.
My daughter didn’t know, although she did tell me when I asked her that I should say “African-American” and not black. Okey dokey.
So that’s my Christmas mystery. Was there a wise man of color, and if so, why is he dressed so very Arabian Nights?
Oh yeah, Merry Christmas.  And thank you for reading my blog and being nice to me about it. Because I’m pretty sure that’s what Christmas is all about.
One year ago ...
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: kikinitwithkiki
December 25, 2009 at 1:12 pm
happy holidays to you and your family. i hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in NC. we didn’t set up a manger, so i can’t answer your question. i also don’t know anything symbolic about x-mas since i wasn’t raised in a religious home. we opened gifts {my kid ended x-mas morning with asking for more presents from us and his grandparents}, enjoyed fattening treats {my hubs ate everything and looks like a bloated tick}, and we have cabin fever from a second day of rain & cold temps., so everyone is getting on eachothers nerves. to top off x-mas morning, my father in law tripped on some of my kiddo’s new lincoln logs, fell, and busted his elbow. he says he won’t sue. take care.
Twitter: PopandIce
December 25, 2009 at 2:09 pm
You’re in North Carolina with your in-laws while hubby is at home? Aren’t you the brave one!
The baby Jesus doesn’t go on the sheep?…crap, I’ll have to redo my Nativity scene…again…
Merry Christmas, Marinka. Peace and blessings to you and yours!
Have a great holiday, Marinka! One of my fav nativities is a baby Jesus made out of a little peanut. He is resting in a miniature raisin box. My son brought it home from preschool a zillion years ago. We call it Peanut Jesus.
I’m watching a Christmas episode of Family Guy and guess what I saw?!?! Their depiction of the Three Wise Men… and one was darker than the other two… and yes they were “dressed so very Arabian Nights.”
Twitter: vboykis
December 26, 2009 at 9:46 am
Yeah, I totally was also thinking of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkvkkekMxOI Merry Festivus!
I can’t be of much help with the manger mystery. Although I suspect that black people existed even back then 😉
We don’t have a manger but we do have a blowup Christmas Spongebob. We are that classy house on the street.
I’m spending the holidays in Borger Tx (what? you’ve never heard of it?) and the other day my aunt referred to black people as the “Afro-Americans.” I refuse to drink the water…
I’m in North Carolina- and will be in NYC a week from today! I found your blog through someone else’s blog- whose blog I found through…oh, you get the gist.
Anyway. Love the blog. 🙂