It’s always interesting after December 25 to see just how fast people take their decorations down. On a grand scale, a lot of businesses, institutions, and the like vary, some removing their tinsel and lights almost immediately, with many waiting until right after New Year’s. Usually by December 29, though, I can find Valentine’s Day candy and cards in most of the chain drugstores, and a good number of the supermarkets as well. Somehow candy hearts isn’t exactly what I want as part of my post-Christmas glow, y’know?

Individuals are different. I can usually view lights and lawn decorations until after New Year’s, though here in Southern California, a lot of people, especially the further east I go, tend to leave them up until at least January 6. Yep, today. The reason for that is that traditionally, the Christmas season in many European nations and cultures differs from our market-driven culture. Here in the States, Christmas starts the day after Halloween and ends at 00:00:01 December 26. We then have a brief frenzy called “Return Your Gifts and Enjoy Discounts” Day, usually celebrated for all of four hours on December 26, quickly followed by promotions for the coming year (woe to ye who bought anything advertised as “interest free until 2007!”– you’ve definitely been had), quickly followed by the doldrums, punctuated by ads for the next three-day weekend/”holiday.” Oh, yeah, and those candy hearts.

In countries such as Spain and Mexico, the end of Christmas comes twelve days after (the “Twelve Nights of Christmas,” you know), on Three Kings’ Day. On that day, so it goes, the Magi entered Bethlehem and paid homage at the manger. Since that day, children leave straw stuffed in their shoes (for the camels, natch) in honor of the event, in the (usually successful) hopes that the Magi will leave gifts in exchange. In other countries, they celebrate January 6, or Epiphany, with processions, ceremonies, and similar celebrations at the closure of the Christmas season.

Growing up, we celebrated Epiphany. While it didn’t mean a second round of gift-giving (the materialistic me was disappointed, I’m sure), it meant a festive meal and a final night to appreciate the tree, which always was taken down the following day. It was a nice way to stretch out the holiday a bit. As an adult, I’ve carried on the tradition in my own home, and we usually have an extra-special meal and enjoy the house with just the Christmas lights and tree lit.

This year, since January 6 is on a Saturday, we decided to make a fun day of it. It’s gorgeous here in Southern California (would be anyway, but with global warming it certainly is getting even more warm and sunny), so I decided to surprise my hard-working spouse with a trip to the Getty Villa. While it’s under the umbrella of The Getty, it’s a separate location from the Getty Center off of the 405, and was at one time the entire museum.

What’s amazing about the Getty is it’s funded by the riches left by J. Paul Getty. The oilman and head of Getty Oil amassed a sizeable collection in his lifetime, then left a chunk of change in a trust to maintain that art for the public. I was rather small when he died, and I remember hearing my parents say that Getty had died. I asked who he was, and was told that he was the richest man in the world. An elementary school mind didn’t exactly wrap around how much money that was, but it was still a suitably impressive statement to ponder. As an adult, it’s far more impressive when you visit both museums and realize that admission is free (yes, FREE– cheapskates and art lovers, rejoice!), and the only cost is for parking. Maintaining the site, paying the staff, acquiring new works of art, defending ethically-challenged curators and administrators in court, operating a hillside tram, and all that an art museum entails comes gratis, because the trust covers it all.

The Getty Villa houses all its Greek and Roman art, in a villa that is a copy of one that once graced the countryside near Mt. Vesuvius. It’s on the site of Getty’s estate, in Malibu.

For those of you that are not privileged to live in the area, here’s what the Getty Villa looks like:

Pretty nice, huh? I’d been there a couple of times, before they closed it for renovations (and opened the Getty Center). It just reopened recently, in late 2006, and I was able to snag tickets. While a lot of the art within was enjoyable, one particular area I enjoyed was what I call the “Hall of Gods.” In this room there are statues of the Greek gods, most dating from around 400-200 B.C. (if I remember correctly). This is the room I’m talking about:

It’s impressive, and a gorgeous room to begin with. But as you enter from the adjoining room, to your left is a statue of Zeus. What was fascinating about this sculpture is that for most of its existence, it’s been lying on the ocean floor. Looking at the statue, you can see the difference. Half is still fairly white, still solid, while the other half has been riddled with holes from mollusks and other sea creatures, and shows the ravages of time (don’t you just love clichés?). Here’s a couple of pictures, so you can see what I mean:

Fascinating, isn’t it? The entire upstairs was a new experience for both of us, because in its previous incarnation, the second floor of the Villa was where everything else (read: post-Roman Empire Art) was located. Now it’s been completely re-done.

After a lovely day spent in the environs of art, subsidized by Oil (one of the few times I’ll admit there’s benefits of an oil fortune!), we decided to get a bit more traditional. We sauntered down the PCH and took I-10 (improbably called the Christopher Columbus Freeway at its origin in Santa Monica– any Floridians who know what it says at the terminus of I-10 on the other end?) downtown, for yet another visit to Olvera Street.

Los Tres Reyes is one of the few, if not the only, fiestas/celebrations left on Olvera Street that I have yet to do, but it seemed like a fun way to close out the holiday season. We weren’t disappointed. After a brief meal at one of the many eateries along the street, we ambled down past the various puestos and observed the procession making its way from the Avila Adobe. While the shepherds were similar to Las Posadas (the same costumes, if not the same people!), the head of the processional was graced by Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, and behind an angel carrying a star were the Magi.

I was so used to the usual ceremonies I didn’t realize, that just as on Dias de Los Muertos, there was a pageant in the Plaza. Fortunately I discovered this relatively quickly, and observed as the processional came to a stop in the heart of the old plaza, and then the Holy Family stepped forward, followed by dancing shepherds and celebrating attendants. After this came the angels and the Star of the East, followed at last by the Three Kings, who solemnly entered the stage, circled slowly with their gifts, and then presented themselves to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

For me, this was truly more about Christmas than the other celebrations we’ve seen, or activities we’ve done. There’s no secular curtain thrown around the events of January 6; there’s no Frosty, Rudolph, or Keebler Elf protoypes running about. It’s Christianity at its heart: the birth of Jesus and the Adoration of the Magi. A fitting close to yet another wonderful year, and a fun holiday season.