lived along the north wall, like Whitney’s, could sail directly from The Highlands to the Intracoastal Waterway. From there they could turn north toward Amelia Island, or south toward Fort Lauderdale, or they could continue east to the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. (“Beyond,” however, included some areas controlled by pirates, so people tended to stick to a few safe destinations.) My house was on the south wall. It was not literally a wall, though. It was an airstrip surrounded by an electronic security fence.
This field trip was a rare outing for us. Highlands kids didn’t often get to travel beyond the walls. School came to us via satellite links. Shopping was done online and then delivered to us by tightly screened UPS or FedEx trucks. Even doctors came to us in special security ambulances.
Once we got past the guardhouse gate, we accelerated toward the Florida Turnpike, and Mickie signaled Kurt to start shooting. She raised her microphone and began, “I’m Mickie Meyers. And we are privileged to ride along with Mrs. Veck’s class on Kid-to-Kid Day, a wonderful tradition that began here three years ago. On Kid-to-Kid Day, children from The Highlands, a wealthy Martin County development, bring clothes to children living in Mangrove, an impoverished local town. In return, the children of Mangrove give the Highlands children handmade gifts.”
Mickie took a step toward Mrs. Veck. “I am told that this type of day has its origins in the past, and that it may even tie in with our discussion yesterday about an Edwardian Christmas. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Veck?”
“That’s right.”
“And just who was this King Edward who gives his name to our theme?”
“He was the son of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. They are generally spoken of together, as a couple—Victoria and Albert.”
Mrs. Veck paused briefly, reaching one hand out and waving it to get Sterling Johnston’s attention. She then continued, “Prince Albert, a German, brought many Christmas traditions to England that are now thought to be English. Queen Victoria loved those traditions and practiced them over her long life.”
Mickie wasn’t really listening. She was watching the scene unfold on Lena’s screen. But she made a rotating motion with her hand, urging Mrs. Veck to keep talking, so she did.
“Many of our modern customs come to us from that era. And some stem from a very interesting phenomenon that happened at Christmastime known as
the ritual of social inversion.
The king or lord always had food and drink left over from the fall harvest that was just sitting there, about to spoil. So, in the first days of winter, he shared it with the poor people, the peasants. The peasants, for a few days at least, got to live like lords.”
Mrs. Veck turned to us. “Now, students, how might that phenomenon, the ritual of social inversion, relate to Christmas?”
Patience actually raised her hand and answered: “We give to the poor at Christmas, like on this trip to Mangrove.”
“Yes indeed. That’s a good modern example. But who can look back with me for many centuries—for 2,035 years?”
I had no idea where Mrs. Veck was going with this, so naturally she called on me: “Charity?”
I tried: “Uh, the birth of Jesus, maybe?”
“The birth of Jesus indeed! A poor baby. Now, who bowed down to Jesus on the first Christmas?”
“The Three Kings?”
“That’s right. Three wealthy kings bowed down to one poor baby! Many Spanish cultures consider Three Kings’ Day, El Día de los Reyes, to be an essential part of Christmastime, the day when the poor and the meek are honored in a ritual of social inversion. In fact, the town of Mangrove celebrates its Christmas Carnaval on that day.”
Mickie interrupted. “What does this have to do with Victoria and Albert?”
“Well, Victoria and Albert enthusiastically embraced the ancient rituals of Christmastime, and they brought those rituals into modern London society. And from
This field trip was a rare outing for us. Highlands kids didn’t often get to travel beyond the walls. School came to us via satellite links. Shopping was done online and then delivered to us by tightly screened UPS or FedEx trucks. Even doctors came to us in special security ambulances.
Once we got past the guardhouse gate, we accelerated toward the Florida Turnpike, and Mickie signaled Kurt to start shooting. She raised her microphone and began, “I’m Mickie Meyers. And we are privileged to ride along with Mrs. Veck’s class on Kid-to-Kid Day, a wonderful tradition that began here three years ago. On Kid-to-Kid Day, children from The Highlands, a wealthy Martin County development, bring clothes to children living in Mangrove, an impoverished local town. In return, the children of Mangrove give the Highlands children handmade gifts.”
Mickie took a step toward Mrs. Veck. “I am told that this type of day has its origins in the past, and that it may even tie in with our discussion yesterday about an Edwardian Christmas. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Veck?”
“That’s right.”
“And just who was this King Edward who gives his name to our theme?”
“He was the son of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. They are generally spoken of together, as a couple—Victoria and Albert.”
Mrs. Veck paused briefly, reaching one hand out and waving it to get Sterling Johnston’s attention. She then continued, “Prince Albert, a German, brought many Christmas traditions to England that are now thought to be English. Queen Victoria loved those traditions and practiced them over her long life.”
Mickie wasn’t really listening. She was watching the scene unfold on Lena’s screen. But she made a rotating motion with her hand, urging Mrs. Veck to keep talking, so she did.
“Many of our modern customs come to us from that era. And some stem from a very interesting phenomenon that happened at Christmastime known as
the ritual of social inversion.
The king or lord always had food and drink left over from the fall harvest that was just sitting there, about to spoil. So, in the first days of winter, he shared it with the poor people, the peasants. The peasants, for a few days at least, got to live like lords.”
Mrs. Veck turned to us. “Now, students, how might that phenomenon, the ritual of social inversion, relate to Christmas?”
Patience actually raised her hand and answered: “We give to the poor at Christmas, like on this trip to Mangrove.”
“Yes indeed. That’s a good modern example. But who can look back with me for many centuries—for 2,035 years?”
I had no idea where Mrs. Veck was going with this, so naturally she called on me: “Charity?”
I tried: “Uh, the birth of Jesus, maybe?”
“The birth of Jesus indeed! A poor baby. Now, who bowed down to Jesus on the first Christmas?”
“The Three Kings?”
“That’s right. Three wealthy kings bowed down to one poor baby! Many Spanish cultures consider Three Kings’ Day, El Día de los Reyes, to be an essential part of Christmastime, the day when the poor and the meek are honored in a ritual of social inversion. In fact, the town of Mangrove celebrates its Christmas Carnaval on that day.”
Mickie interrupted. “What does this have to do with Victoria and Albert?”
“Well, Victoria and Albert enthusiastically embraced the ancient rituals of Christmastime, and they brought those rituals into modern London society. And from
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