Epiphany Update

Well, my family didn't invent it: there is a tradition in Ireland of calling Epiphany "Little Christmas" or "Women's Christmas". (That's the real Epiphany on January 6th whose origin is lost in the mists of time not the USCCB ersatz version appearing on random Sundays. Harrumph.) Bill White of Summa Minutiae kindly referred me here and, lo, there it is in black and white: "Little Christmas" and "Women's Christmas".

And Tom Fitzpatrick of Recta Ratio had a similar inspiration and remembers both terms in a post here. Not only that, but he can find the books in his library and is able to cite Danaher's "The Year in Ireland". (I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't cheat, though, and use some sort of rational filing system. The Inn relies on the "If-I-take-these-three-small-books-and-turn-them-sideways-and-stuff-them-in-this-space-up-here,-there-will-be-room-for-this-larger-one-in-this-space-next-to-hey,-here's-my-copy-of-Barchester-Pilgrimage.'-All-other-books-then-placed-on-floor-or-nearby-table-where-they-will-remain,-possibly-forever,-while-I-spend-the-rest-of-the-afternoon-with-Barchester-Pilgrimage system". This is sometimes called the Serendipity System.)

I should also point out that I mis-wrote. What my wife and in-laws do not recognize is Women's Christmas. Mary is moderately annoyed that I have told the world that she never heard of Little Christmas when that was, in fact, what it was always called in her childhood.