6 • January 2018 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


FAMILY Daddy I Need…Three Kings Day by Gabriel A. Fraire ~ gafraire@comcast.net Healdsburg, CA. ~ I am


a Mexican-American. My grandparents all came from Mexico more than 100 years ago. I was born in this country and my parents were born in this country so we are very “an- glocized”. Still there are many things my family does that are tra- ditionally Mexi- can, like making tamales at Christmas time. It is as much a tradition as making cookies is for some.


One Christmas holiday


while we were making ta- males my daughter asked me what is the “Day of the Kings?” She said she heard some kids talking about it.


I explained that Day of the Kings or Three Kings Day is based on the story of Jesus’ birth and how the three wise men took 12 days to get to the baby Jesus once they saw the star of Bethlehem. I explained that in many Latin American countries Day of the Kings is the


day of gift giving similar to Christmas day for many chil- dren in America.


I kept explaining as best I could since I never really cel- ebrated the Day of the Kings. I told her children in those countries often will leave their shoes out on the front steps. When they wake in


more wheels gifts spinning in her


head. I told her that we could but she wouldn’t get gifts on Christmas and Kings Day.


the morning they fi nd gifts in their shoes.


When she asked if we were going to celebrate the Day of the Kings I could hear the


She looked at her shoes then she looked at my shoes. She asked if she could bor- row my shoes, I told her she would need to use her own shoes.


Then she said, “I think we can stay with what we are do- ing.” I said, “Okay.”


re


Gabriel A. Frai- has


been a writ- er more than 45 years. He has written fi ction and non-fi ction books,


plays, poems,


music lyrics, and news ar- ticles. But, he writes about his children exclusively for the Upbeat Times.


JOKES & Humor # 3


My young son declared, “When I grow up, I’m going to marry you, Mommy.”


“You can’t marry your own mother,” said his older sister. “Then I’ll marry you.”


“You can’t marry me either.” He looked confused, so I explained, “You can’t marry someone in your own family.”


“You mean I have to marry a total stranger?!” he cried.


“Courage is feeling fear, not getting rid of fear, and taking action in


the face of fear.” Roy T. Bennett


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6 • January 2018 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


“My Life is My Message” ~ Mahatma Gandhi


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