When wishes fall from the sky

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Something magical happens in Mexico every 5th and 6th of January. On Jan. 5, children across the country send their wishes for presents to the Three Wise Men, Los Reyes Magos in Spanish. It’s the local equivalent of writing a Christmas letter to Santa and addressing it to him at the North Pole. Here, children tie their notes to the Wise Men to balloons and send them aloft, in a bid to reach the three stars in the sky over Bethlehem that represent the Wise Men. On the morning of Jan. 6, the gifts appear in living rooms across the country. Of course, the balloons eventually fall to the ground. On Sunday, one green balloon with the note still attached (pictured) fell outside the front door to our house in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood. ‘Dear Wise Men,’ the note begins. ‘I please ask that you bring me the things we picked at the Soriana [a department store], and if you’d like to bring me something more, I will be grateful for the rest of my life.’

— Héctor Tobar in Mexico City