3 Kings Day: A community comes together to grant Christmas wishes
In Mexico, Christmas Eve and Day are religious holidays that are spent with family. Santa Claus is a more recent addition to Christmas, so in most families the children await 3 Kings day - Dia de Tres Reyes. Three Kings Day, also known as the Epiphany, commemorates the day the 3 wise men, magi or 3 kings arrived to pay homage to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. It happens January 6, 12 days after Christmas.
The last two years, I have been exceedingly fortunate to be able to assist in delivering gifts which the extremely generous members of our ex-pat community provided to a local village. The small village is called Alfa Omega and it is located across the highway, past the puebla/poblado and down a dirt road that runs along the power lines. This lovely, well-manicured community is home to some of the staff from Latitude 20 and is a church-based village. The common areas are expanding - now in addition to their palapa church they also have the beginning structures for a community building and banos, and we saw outdoor lighting going up where the new community center will be. It appeared that their electricity is from a generator they share.
Last year, people took a tag off the Christmas tree that was set up at Latitude 20 – each tag had the name of a child, his or her sex and age - and shopped according to sex and age. This year the children were allowed to write a letter requesting what they wanted. The letters were adorable, so heartwarming and humbling just to read them. Each letter was full of gratitude and the wishes were so modest. Many wrote thanking us for last year’s gifts, explaining some of the good deeds they did during the year, like sharing their toys with others and listening to their parents. When they got to the wishes they were so appreciative. One girl wrote that if we could grant her wish for a backpack with school supplies she would be the happiest girl in the world, further explaining her parents had few resources to provide these things.
I don’t know about most of you, but I find buying gifts for my grandchildren, although I love to do it, to be very stressful. They have so much! Will it be exactly what they want? How do I choose from so many options? And it will it be appreciated and used or buried among the mountain of other toys? Buying for these children, though, is pure joy! They were clear in their requests, and we knew everything they got would be loved and appreciated.
This year people also had the option of making a cash donation and several of us would do the shopping and the wrapping. We found this to be such a great idea, and the generosity was beyond our expectation. So much so we were able to grant each child’s wish with enough money left over to buy a dispensa for each household. A dispensa is a box full of 21 basic household necessities from toilet paper to cooking oil, pastas, rice, beans, seasonings, etc.
So many people opened their hearts and wallets to help, but one of the funniest happened at Latitude 20’s Happy Hour. There was a table of grown men all pounding the table and chanting some sort of encouragement. Moments later Joe walked over and presented us with over two thousand pesos, explaining that they just had an eating contest in which 500 peso bets were placed with all the money donated for gifts from the tree!!
When we arrived at Alfa Omega around 5 in the afternoon we were greeted by the minister. Then immediately tables were set up for us to put all the gifts and dispensas. It didn’t take long for the entire community to gather. The looks of anticipation from the young kids were enough to melt your heart. What struck me was how patiently each child from 1 to 15 waited. How thrilled they were for the happiness of their friends and family. And it wasn’t just what was in it for them, but also for the collective joy for their community.
One young woman’s special backpack did not arrive on time, but the gift giver was kind enough to include a printout of what was on its way to her soon. She enjoyed all the school supplies she received and later we noticed her staring longingly at her printed page, in anticipation of what would soon be hers.
Another small child had requested a walking dinosaur as his only gift. I have to say, 3 women scoured the locals stores and the internet in search for this walking dinosaur. On the very last day of shopping, in the very last shop we entered, which we had already looked at once before, there stood the walking dinosaur! Not only did it walk, but it roared! I don’t know who was more excited about that dinosaur. And I don’t know who was more surprised, but if you don’t believe in Christmas miracles, I assure you there are several of us who do, and you will never convince us otherwise.
Because of the generosity of so many in our community, both near and far, we were also able to add some little items to their wish list, hair ties for the girls, fun straws for the younger kids, candy canes and more. Those items were as well received as their big gifts.
The afternoon ended with an amazing moment when a table was set for us and we were served pollo tacos dorado, also known as flautas, homemade by Isaac’s wife and daughter. They were served along with lettuce, garlic crema and guacamole and fresh lemonade. Once we had finished all the children were served. It truly was an amazing afternoon. Thank you, Daniel, Isaac and all the people in Alfa Omega that made this such a memorable day.
We have already begun to prepare for next year’s 3 Kings’ Day. If you would like to help, on your next trip to Puerto Aventuras pack a few goodies, such as school supplies, arts and crafts, ear-buds or backpack and drop them off at Latitude 20. The younger children requested clothes, learning toys, slightly older kids wanted sneakers, backpacks and school supplies, and the oldest wanted headphones and ear-buds. The easiest way to help is, of course, cash donations. They allow us to use any extra money to feed the families and help the community as a whole.
In addition to the Alpha Omega community, gifts were collected for each of the children of the staff of Latitude 20. The entire staff, in addition to the Alpha Omega citizens, want to express their heartfelt thanks! And wish all of you a very Happy New Year - Feliz Ano Nuevo!