Over the years, I have posted many pieces on this website describing personal experiences- stories of events that have happened to me that I find fascinating or that taught me something meaningful.

A friend once remarked to me that I seem to have more of these types of experiences than anyone else he knew. I took that as a compliment, but I don’t think it is true. I believe that every person has unique and memorable everyday experiences but that some people embrace and pay more attention to these experiences, and I consider myself one of those people.

So, in that spirit, here is a story I have never written about before.

Today, December 9, is our 34^th wedding anniversary. Two weeks after our wedding, Ellen and I left for a honeymoon trip to Arizona and New Mexico. We chose that destination because we wanted to stay in the United States but to travel someplace warm. 

We had a wonderful time in Tuscon, hiking among the cactus parks, seeing the beautiful landscape and enjoying the warm winter sun. Then we set off for the “Land of Enchantment”: New Mexico. 

Fortunately, we had checked out the weather forecast for Santa Fe at the last minute before we left Ann Arbor and discovered that Santa Fe’s high temperature during the days we would be there was going to be 15 degrees. So we were prepared for a return to winter.

It wasn’t warm but we found Santa Fe to be an enchanting, fascinating, romantic city and thoroughly enjoyed our days there. 

We also took time to venture out to the Native American pueblos, the villages in which ceremonial dances took place at Christmas time. These were fascinating combinations of the Native American rituals and Christian faith brought by missionaries centuries ago. 

Along the way, we were also particularly impressed with the tradition of what are called storytelling dolls, pottery figures of a woman telling stories to young children and we wanted to buy one for our house.

We asked where we could purchase the best storytelling dolls and were told that we should go to a certain pueblo and find the woman at a certain address. This was one of the most respected artisans who made these dolls. 

So, we found the village and after asking around were directed to her door and she welcomed us into her home. We talked for a while and then we bought this doll which has always had a prominent place in our home.

But that is only the beginning of our story.

The artisan told us that during Christmas week, visitors to the pueblo are expected to visit the “shrine” and she asked her young son to direct us there. He agreed to escort us on his bicycle and led us to a home in the village and told us to go in. 

We were a bit hesitant, unsure of what would be expected of us and obviously wanted to avoid participating in any religious ritual, but we didn’t want to offend the residents by not engaging in the custom. So, we went in.

We entered and greeted the members of the family who were in the large living room area and were directed to two empty chairs. In one side of the room, near where the family was sitting, there was a very pretty nativity scene. The room was mostly silent.

The kitchen was off of the living room, and I noticed that there was a rather large pot of what appeared to be chili cooking on the stove with several women tending to the meal. One of the people in the kitchen brought a bowl of chili to one of the family members sitting near the shrine. We were offered some but politely refused, opting instead for the offered nuts and candy.

         We sat in silence for a few minutes and then a member of the community came over to us and asked us quietly where we were from and why we were visiting the village. We introduced ourselves and he was completely welcoming and then explained to us what we were seeing. He told us that every year one family is designated as the host of the shrine and for a week that family stays at home with the nativity scene while people in the community do their errands and cook for them. They are expected to remain in their home for the week as the honored hosts of the shrine. 

         Suddenly, I had the strangest feeling that I had seen all this before- not déjà vu but a sense of familiarity with what was happening. As it was time for us to go, we politely thanked everyone and left but I couldn’t wait to get outside.

         We got in the car and I just sat there for a moment and Ellen asked me what was wrong. I turned to her and told her that I could not believe what we had just seen. 

         Here was a family sitting at home for a week with a religious shrine while members of the community took care of their personal and religious needs. Here was a room full of people talking in hushed tones in deference to the family hosting the shrine.

         It suddenly had dawned on me that I had seen all this before: in a house of shiva.

         The stories of “conversos”, descendants of those who had been forced to convert to Christianity many centuries ago and settled in New Mexico are well known. Some retained some vestiges of Jewish customs, sometimes in secret, for generations. 

         Had we witnessed evidence of a long-forgotten connection with Jewish ritual by visiting the “Christmas shrine”? I am not sure. Perhaps it was a coincidence or my own projecting from my experience, but I only know what I felt. I felt we were, in some strange way, “at home” and I have never forgotten what that felt like. And each time I look at the storyteller doll, I think of how important it is for all of us to tell our stories.