I'm listening to my 24/7 Christmas music, and "Do you hear what I hear?" comes on. I guess it's the first time I've ever really listened to the words... or I don't know, but the line A child, a child shivers in the cold, let us bring him silver and gold. Let us bring him silver and gold. This is the kind of mentality people had/have... money will make things better... he's a freakin' baby, he doesn't need Solid Ingots of Metal... he needs a friggin' blanket if he's so cold... Wise King 1: Hey guys! the Son of God was born in Bethlehem, we gotta get him something. Wise King 2: Where's he registered? Wise King 1: Nowhere that I know of... so I was just thinking we could take him some stuff that the gods of old would have liked. Wise King 3: What, like the stuff we used to give when we were all polytheistic? Wise King 1: Yeah, just some good old fashioned Sacrificial-type libations. Wise King 2: Libations? Are we going to get him drunk? Wise King 1: No! you know... some offerings... Not alcohol. Wise King 3: Oh, you mean like a sacrificial lamb? Wise King 1: Um, yeah... but I'm pretty sure we don't want to actually sacrifice a lamb... call it a hunch. Wise King 2: Oh okay... you're thinking of Oblations! Right? Wise King 1: Yeah, exactly, Oblations! We need to get some oblations for the Son of God! Wise King 2: Do you think He'd like some Frankincense? I've some, and I can make him some perfume, or some incense sticks... I mean really, what baby doesn't love incense? Wise King 3: Really! and have you seen that Mary? I'm mean, she's a total hippy, she'd freak for some incense. Wise King 1: I have some solid ingots of Gold here... I'm not really sure what good it will do a baby, but he is the Son of God and I'm sure he'll recognize the greatness of gold. Wise King 3: Why not some platinum instead of gold? Wise King 1: Well, platinum won't be big for another 2000 years. I figure, right now... It's all about the bling bling. Wise King 2: True dat! Wise King 3: How about a really nice blanket, I mean he's probably pretty cold. Wise King 1: Dude! A blanket? Wise King 3: What? What's wrong with a blanket? It's really nice. It's made from angora. Wise King 1: It could be hand-sewn from the tiny eyelids of minks! It's still a blanket! This is the friggin' Son of God here! Wise King 3: Well, I was just thinking that a blanket would be of more use than an ingot of gold... It's not even something the family can use, because, a.) you can't just walk in somewhere and purchase things with a block of gold, and b.) Joseph is a carpenter... not a metal-smith. You'd be better off taking them some nice Spruce or some Purple Heartwood. Wise King 2: Um hello? "We three kings of ORIENT are." Where's he going to get Spruce and Purple Heartwood? Wise King 3: Fine, some nice Phoenix Tail or Sandal Wood. Wise King 2: Better. Wise King 1: Excuse me, this is an unnecessary tangent... the fact still remains that you can't take the Son of God a blankey! Wise King 3: Okay! Fine! What about some nice Myrrh? Wise King 2: Dude! I'm already taking the aromatic gum resin! You're going to have to find something else! Wise King 3: Frankincense and Myrrh are totally different! Wise King 2: No they're not! They're both used for the production of perfume and incense. Wise King 3: Fine! I won't take Myrrh... I'll take him some Balm of Gilead. Wise King 2: Good! So it's settled, you have the Gold, I've got the Frankincense and you've got the Balm of Gilead. Wise King 3: Fine, it's settled... let's go. Wise King 2: What is Balm of Gilead anyway? Wise King 1: It's Myrrh... he's still taking Myrrh.