Happy Twelfth Night!!

Today is the twelfth day after Christmas. This is the traditional "last" day of the Christmas holiday season. It is a time for parties, parties and more parties. William Shakespeare celebrated this holiday with its own play. We still sing about it in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas." During the 1700s and 1800s, this was a big deal in colonial and early America.

But, where are the parties? The retail industry, always hunting for a new excuse to get us to shop, ignores this day. The hospitality industry, always hunting for a new excuse to get us to dine out and drink in their bars, also ignores this holiday. Why?

In bygone years, tonight would be filled with entertaining, masquerade parties, food, drink, gift giving (tomorrow is the traditional day of the "three kings" visit to the Christ child) and other debauchery. What happened? Why did this holiday vanish??