Just when you thought the holidays were over...

...along comes one of my (recently appointed) favorites:  3 Kings Day!  For me, it's all about the scrumptious, buttery-flaky (King) cake 'Galette des Rois' that my french friend brings back from her holiday visit (she has also been known to make it from scratch) and we basically created a post-holiday party around this + a white elephant gift exchange + the 'adorning' (ok, defacing) of our Christmas tree = yummy fun.

Every King Cake comes with a little surprise inside and a crown!

No 3 Kings Party is complete without wieners and Paulaner beer.

This year's cake's surprise:  A little Elvis-looking portrait named "RAOUL"!

The lucky person who receives the slice with the little 'Raoul' in it (careful not to swallow and choke) has to sing a song...a french song is our tradition, and usually ends up being a pathetic version of Frere Jacques

Don't these unwanted gifts under Julie's tree (named Stan) look lovely?

And all the Christmas candy that didn't get eaten is put out..
including..snowman peeps imported from U.S.?!   

Before I moved to Munich I never gave this holiday due credit.  But somehow I started appreciating it for what it was (not)..an excuse for a post holiday party!  I found that the Christmas season went by all too fast, especially here in Munich what with more than a dozen worthy Christmas markets around town, parties, and friends or families traveling.  It seems like as soon as I've made it through Christmas, I'm ready to relax and celebrate the 'festiveness' of it all, alas only for it to be (just about, but not quite!) over.

I should give it some credit, for what it actually is... 'Epiphany Day'  is still a holiday in its own right here in Germany and Austria.  It's not at all uncommon to see kids on the streets dressed as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.  According to an old legend based on a Bible story, these three kings saw, on the night when Christ was born, a bright star, followed it to Bethlehem and found there the Christchild and presented it with gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Today all over Bavaria, many homes around town will be blessed by these 3 Kings and you will know which homes have been visited by them by the writing on the door "CMB" plus the current year. 

The 3 Kings were here (2011).. Christus Mansinem Benedictat

Special thanks to Julie for stepping in to host this year's gathering, due to unforeseen uh..plumbing problems at our place... Julie gladly stepped up to hostess.  And out of respect for her tree, or perhaps just because we forgot and someone had already scarfed all the wieners, we did not deface her little tree.