Advent/Epiphany clean-up!

January 6 ends the 12 days of Christmas & begins the long season of Epiphany, as the magi returned to their lands to spread the news of the newborn King. 

Spanish Christians celebrate with a feast & presents, in a far bigger way than Christmas.  Bakeries here pay carbohydrate lip-service by baking a variety of cakes with golden crowns.  January 1st - the 8th day of Christmas - marks the New Year and the circumcision of the infant King. 

Between St Nicholas Day on Dec 6, the 12 days of Christmas including Christmas Eve & Day, & Epiphany - everything gets so spread out, relativizing Christmas in a good way, it seems.

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Anyway, we took the boys to enjoy a morning in Lausanne, hitting Academe Ecole de Coiffure (hair salon school), for the cheapest cuts in town. The quality is high - careful oversight - complete with shampoo and a touch of class: they hang up your coat, greeting with a friendly handshake!

While out, we came across this Provence-style creche scene

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Here's the house near us all decked out for advent:

 
Pretty spectacular, especially at night.