It’s never too late to have a happy childhood, but the second one is up to you and nobody else.  ~Everett Bonner

When I put the colorful box down at the checkstand in the local supermarket, the cashier gave me a sideways glance, one eyebrow ever so slightly raised.  I’m not a Mexican Catholic; I’m Portuguese, very white, and very Jewish.  As the Rosca de los Reyes (Ring of the Kings) was rung up, I wondered how my fiancée’s mother would react to seeing me delivering it to their home….

Tonight is Twelfth Night, a tradition going as far back as the Middle Ages, with varying forms of observance all over Europe, South America and Mexico.  It is the formal ending of a span of time beginning on All Hallows Eve, commemorating the Fall harvest, and the full onset of Winter.   As this once-pagan holiday moved to more traditionally Catholic countries, religious overtones were given to this time, to include the birth of Jesus,  twelve days of Christmas tradition, and the commemoration of the arrival of the 3 Magii to help announce to the world that a child is born, and ending with the onset of Epiphany.

I am not looking forward to putting away the trappings of the Holiday season.  It’s quite a somber ordeal, removing all of the colorful, bright ornaments from the tree, the ribbons and bows.  Then comes putting away the tree itself, the stockings, candles, throws, pillows and decor.  And let us not forget the Hanukkah stuff!  Wistful, happy memories will be taken down and boxed up, hidden from sight once more, as our family once again faces another year of possibilities (and hidden challenges) ahead.

When I arrived at my fiancée’s parents’ house with the box of the ring-shaped multi-colored bread, Nadira gave me a funny glance, a slow grin spreading from ear to ear, glancing over at her mother, as she announced that I had brought something.  Her mother was both surprised and happy to see the box, asking if we were planning to come over on the 6th to celebrate.  Of course we would, I replied.  I suppose it seemed odd, to have a Jew bringing home a bread ring to commemorate a Christian holiday.  I believe in supporting the beliefs and culture of Nadira’s family, as they are a growing part of who I am, too.  It may be a difficult balance, but both Nadira and her family are worth walking that path.

In keeping with the ancient tradition of nightfall coming before day (as opposed to modern thought of day coming before night,)  Twelfth Night precedes Twelfth Day, which is celebrated Jan 6th until Midnight in many cultures.  In the Middle Ages, as part of the celebration, a bean and a pea were baked into rings of sweet bread.  The bread was then cut up and eaten by the celebrants.  Whoever found the bean was crowned King, and the new owner of the pea was their Queen for a day, overseeing the day’s revelries.

Long ago, the bean and pea in the bread rings were replaced with little statuettes of or trinkets relating to the baby Jesus.  The hiding of the object in the bread signifies the flight of Joseph and Mary from King Herod’s dictates.  The name of the bread itself, Rosca de los Reyes, or Ring of the Kings, commemorates the three kings who welcomed Jesus into the world.  Traditionally, the child that discovers the statue is to keep it and take it to church on Feb. 2nd, the Dia de la Candelaria, or Day of the Candles, otherwise known as Candlemas.  I am sure that there will be an equally fun and meaningful tradition to be found in the events occurring with Nadira’s family.  There usually is.

In Europe until its practice was banished in the 1500s by Queen Mary I, a Lord of Misrule was appointed, to preside over all of the Christmas celebrations.  All known conventions were to be turned upside down by this person.  The rich were chastened to pretend poverty, men pretended to be women, the young were to think of themselves as juvenile once again, all in jest and holiday spirit.  It was as time to experiment with being something other than the lot in life you found yourself in.

I had so much fun ending the year, that I find myself wondering why the rest of the year is not as full of frivolity.  I know I am a pretty easy-going guy, and do enjoy my share of entertainment and laughter.  When did the transition occur, pulling so much of my focus from the bright, shiny, fun objects encountered daily in childhood,  to self-discipline, bills and responsibility?  Just when did I grow up so damn much, and how to I reverse my serious lot in life?

It’s about high time that I became a lord of my own misrule.  It’s past due for me to turn things upside down a bit in my own life, in order to have fun and let more laughter in my days.  I found these eight life choices that I believe can help out quite a bit.

8 Methods to Find the Inner Child

1. Introduce more music into your day – I have begun listening to music far more often than I used to.  I try to have music on often, surrounding me, in the house, when I am cooking, cleaning, or plain relaxing.  Tex-Mex. Cumbia. Country. Rigaton. Hip-Hop. Classic Rock. Alternative. Pop. In the car or when others aren’t around, I’ll even sing out loud.  If you have heard me, my apologies.

2. Reinvigorate (and re-invent) your wardrobe –  I have been letting go when it comes to my wardrobe, but not in a bad way.  I have been allowing myself to be talked into colors, sizes, or cuts in garments I would not normally choose myself.  And guess what? I look pretty good in a lot of them!  Slowly but surely, color is making its way into my side of the closet.

3. Put recess back into your day – I do need to work on this one.  At work, I should take more breaks and go for walks.  I need to get outside more often with the kids and simply play. Climb a tree. Go down a slide. Throw a ball. Run. Collect rocks and leaves and sticks and memories.

4. Play board and video games – I’ve no problem with playing video games, but it tends to be alone.   Childhood so often is about socializing, and I need to take some more time and play the games my kids own with them, even if they kick my behind each and every time.

5. Explore new culinary adventures – I often eat at the same places, because I enjoy the food and atmosphere.  But if I think more like a teenager, I would be trying out strange, new places.  Hole in the wall joints.  Cuisine I cannot pronounce.  I have been quite a bit more adventurous in what I eat lately, thanks to the many dishes Nadira’s family has made (cow head, anyone?)  I’ve also been to a lot more interesting places, but I promise this year to look up and visit places I haven’t yet. So coworkers, beware!

6. Be capricious – I need to learn to be more impulsive.  I should do a better job of looking for opportunities to run away for a little bit of time with my fiancee, if even to the room for an hour.  I should take more chances in life, and be willing to let go of fears and experiment.  The purchase of the Rosca de los Reyes was an example of being capricious…

7. Go on a field trip – I used to love the field trips I went on when I was a child.  The journey there was half of the fun!  We get so stuck in our days working and taking care of things at home, that we forget to take the kids and simply go away for a time.  I am definitely going to have to figure out when we can take the kids up to the mountains or coast, on hikes and picnics.

8. Do some Arts and Crafts – We’ve been pretty good at incorporating artsy/craftsy projects at home.  We cut unique paper snowflakes, made Sculpey clay ornaments, helped the kids learn perspective in drawing, and introduced the girls to colored pencil and charcoal.  There is no shortage of bins full of craft items we could glue, sew, stick, sparkle or hang.  We will definitely have to do more of them!

As we grow up, it is so easy to put away those colorful reminders of our celebrated youth.  Little by little, year by year, we tend to store away happy, young  memories and look forward to our lives ahead.

I’m really looking forward to this year.  Oh sure, there are so many adult things that I believe will get accomplished.  I am also, however, willing to take the time to dig further into the portion that life has provided me, in a renewed search for that hidden, inner child.  I didn’t get to choose how my first childhood went, but that second one, well, that one is all up to me…