This evening Martina and I finally decided to put up our Christmas tree, which has ornaments representing our various travels and experiences. One of my favorite ornaments is a handmade wooden
"čert" or "devil" that Martina's mother, known colloquially as Baba Jaja, sent us several years ago from the Czech Republic. On December 5th, Saint Nicholas, the Devil, and an Angel all travel together through the streets of Bohemia. Good children recite poetry to Saint Nicholas and get a treat. Bad children end up in the Devil's sack. There is, of course, no in between.
This year, I made the mistake of forgetting St. Nicholas Day, so I had to improvise with a gift. I asked Martina to recite Pushkin in Russian, but instead she chose to recite the epitaph of the Czech poet Jiri Wolker, which he wrote shortly before his death. Despite the rather morbid nature of Martina's recitation choice, "Saint Nicholas" directed her to click a button on Amazon and buy herself a little present.
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