The Three Magi
1899 words
In December 2020 for the first time in 800 years, a “Christmas Star” illuminated the skies . . .
I’m 16 this year and am shopping for a new outfit for the holidays. Mom usually sews us one before Christmas. This year I get to buy one at the store. We’re shopping at Montgomery Wards where our dad works. Dad works in the Garden Department. He used to work in flooring. I’m shopping with mom and my two siblings. “Mom, can we get some Bridge Mix,” I say when I see the candy counter. She looks down and says, “Well, OK but just a small bag.” “Yippee,” Winnie cries. I hope this will cheer mom up.
Mom and I went to the hospital last night to see her mom who has cancer all over her body. She had breast cancer twenty years ago but now the cancer is back with a vengeance. The family never told her she had breast cancer because she worries a lot. She probably would have been sick years before this if she knew.
We take the escalator up to second floor. I’ve found dresses in this clearance room in the past. “Oh wow, a dark purple, satin one. I love it,” I say. I show it to Mom and she sees the $40 price tag. “I’m afraid you can’t get this one honey. It’s way too expensive,“ she says frowning. “ The color isn’t really that Christmas-y anyway,” I reply.
I notice a Magi figurine next to the clearance pantyhose as I’m taking the dress back. He has a black beard and a golden robe with green stripes. “Mom, do we need any more people for our nativity set at home? This one is on sale and is really cool,” I say. “No, we have three Vera. That’s the number of wise men that were following the star,” she replies. I don’t find anything else I really like so we go downstairs to the junior department. Clothes are more expensive there but last time I found a skirt on sale.
I see a dark green, velvet skirt and hold it up to myself in front of a mirror. It has a simple elastic waist but is very stylish. I look at the tag. It’s marked down to $20. I try it on and it fits perfectly. “Mom, can I get this skirt,” I ask. She looks at the price tag, smiles and says, “What will you wear with it?” “I can wear my fancy new blouse I got at Saks 5th Avenue,” I say.
My best friend Kara and I took a trip to Chicago, Illinois to see her cousin Ben and two aunts on her mother’s side at the beginning of November. We went to Saks Fifth Avenue and a lot of other fancy shops on Michigan Avenue. “You can get the skirt to wear with your new blouse,” mom says. Mom and Winnie go to the girls department next. Dave stays with me in shoes. “Aren’t these shoes cute,” I say. He nods his head. I look at the price on the bottom of the shoe and set them down quickly.
Dave, Winnie and I have been making our wish lists from the huge, Wards catalog our family received in the mail. “What would you like for Christmas Vera,” mom asks. “I want some Ambush cologne, a new pair of shoes, a diary and brown corduroy jacket,” I reply. The other kids want toys and transistor radios. I still like my stuffed animals and Raggedy Ann dolls though.
It was snowing lightly on the way here this morning. We have 10” of snow already. I had to wear my really high, black boots today. We have sweaters on under our wool coats. I take off my tan, pea coat that I got at Goodwill and sling it over my arm. My favorite part of Christmas is shopping. It’s so fun to spend money and not feel guilty about it. I’ve been saving my allowance for months now.
I love to go downtown with my grandma Cori. She is mom’s mother. She works in the monogramming department at Donaldson’s, downtown Minneapolis. At Christmas we usually get pajamas or a monogrammed sweater from grandpa and her. Some of the sweaters even have brown, suede patches on the elbows.
Grandma showed me some really cool stores downtown. At night, after shopping, we usually watch Miracle On 34th Street on TV. It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart is another show I like to watch with her before the holidays. Our family saw the movie Toyland last year at the movie theatre. I won’t go downtown with grandma this year because she’s sick. It’s almost Christmas. What a horrible time to be sick!
Mom has been knitting a lot lately. I saw some purple, multicolored yarn in her hand last Wednesday. Purple is my favorite color of all. I hope she knits me a scarf and mittens. I look down the aisle and see Mom with a skein of yarn in her hand. She quickly puts it back into the shopping bag when she sees me coming toward her.
“Did you find any shoes Vera,” she asks. “I found a pair I’ll put on my Christmas list,” I say. She smiles and says. “What did they look like,” “They were black, patent leather heels,” I reply. I’m starting to wear heels now. I can walk without tipping back and forth. I’ve been practicing with Mom’s black, patent leather heels.
My brother Dave is carrying the bag of Bridge Mix. “Could I have the Bridge Mix please,” I ask. He passes it to me as we walk. I search for a caramel or Brazil nut piece. We stop in the wrapping paper section after Winnie gets her dress. I help Mom pick out paper. “Mom, can we buy these bows too? They’ll look great with that green and gold paper,“ I say. “Yes,” she replies. My brother Dave wrapped packages in the Sunday comics last year. I think he saw it in a comic strip or something.
We have a white-flocked tree this year. Mom decorated it with silver and dark blue bulbs. “Mom, can we go to the Garden Center and see the Christmas trees decorated there,” I ask. “Okay honey, we’ll go there next,” she replies. I may buy mom and dad a new ornament for the tree. I love the pine scent that fills the whole house now that we have our Christmas tree. I can even smell it in our bedroom on second floor.
We have Christmas stockings hung on the mantel already. My stocking is red felt with cutout stars on it. There’s a white piece of felt on top with my name written in my seven-year-old handwriting. Mom likes us to use these stockings every year. I made Santa by tracing a cookie cutter but it doesn’t look like Santa. The stars turned out much better. We make our way to the Garden Center and I smell the pine scent of the trees before the door even opens. We see Dad near a green balsam and he smiles when he sees us. I show him the green skirt I got and he smiles. “It looks like you’re ready for Christmas Vera,” he says. I offer him the last few pieces of candy in the white candy bag. “Thank you,” he says.
Winnie shows him her red dress and he says “Ahh.” Dave is over by the white, flocked tree trying to find an ornament and we all join him there. I go over to the other side and see a silver peacock. I know Mom loves peacocks as she just hooked a rug of one for our blue room. I take it over to the cashier quickly before anyone notices I’m gone. I’m in luck; there’s no one in line. I get the ornament in a bag as quickly as possible and join the rest of the family. “Where were you Vera,” mom asks. “Nowhere,” I reply. She notices the bag and smiles. “OK, but next time, please tell me where you’re going. I was worried,” she says. “OK Mom,” I reply.
Mom made some sparkly ornaments for the tree last year. The ornament starts with a Styrofoam ball. Sequins are then stuck in it with pins. I hope she lets me make one this year. I didn’t have time last year. She put a few on the tree and they make the tree so sparkly. Last year I strung popcorn on black thread for the tree. I read about this in school during our pioneer study. Ami from down the block said, “Vera, bagged popcorn is much easier to use than the kind popped on the stove.” I wish I had learned this sooner. The pioneers used to put candles on the tree too. “We should use colored lights now that we have them,” mom said.
We usually make an ornament in the Sunday school class I help teach with mom. This year we made a doll out of a clothespin. I painted faces on the round part for the kids and they glued yellow, red, brown or black embroidery floss on for hair. I cut out dresses and suits ahead of time for the kids to glue on to the clothespins. I put silver sequins in my dress for buttons. I used red floss for hair, just like Raggedy Ann dolls. “Vera, this will look so cute on our tree,” mom says when I show her.
After school tomorrow I get to help mom decorate sugar cookies. I love to put chocolate or multicolored sprinkles and red hots on them. A lot of the red hots get eaten before they make it on the cookie. The tree and Santa cookies are my favorite shapes. I like stars too. This year we’re even dying the frosting yellow for the stars. That was my idea. We usually just use white frosting. We get to eat the burnt cookies after we frost them. I can’t wait to try them.
My favorite holiday cookies are Latino Wedding Cakes, Haystacks and Candy Cane Cookies. Chow Mein noodles and chocolate chips are the only ingredients in the Haystacks so mom lets me make those myself. Sometimes mom puts peanuts in them. I don’t like them with peanuts. One time she put raisins in. I think I’ll add raisins this year. Gram Ellie will like them.
After we get home, I look at the manger scene on the mantel in the living room. Baby Jesus is in the manger. He looks so peaceful. Our nativity set has a place for a light bulb on top. Mom always puts a yellow bulb there. I love the Magi too. Mom says I should say three kings but I like Magi better. Mom always puts them too close to the manger. I move them far away this time.
I imagine the three kings following the bright star in the sky. These men traveled very far to see baby Jesus. They had faith they would find him. Others ridiculed and made fun of them but they had faith. As you celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, remember the Magi. They followed his star. They had great faith. They knew King Jesus would be there.
