It is an Eastern tradition to mark the doors of our homes with chalk and this inscription: 20+C+M+B+15. The number of the New Year is split at the beginning and end. The initials C, M, and B represent Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar, and the three crosses stand for “saint”. The letters also abbreviate the prayer: “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means May Christ Bless this House. So today you may take the chalk home, gather around the inside of the front door, and use it to inscribe the numbers and letters on the frame while saying: “May Christ bless this house.” Throughout the year those who come and go through that door will enjoy the blessing of Christ. Coincidently, the month of January takes its name from the Roman god Janus, the guardian of thresholds. This ritual casts a Christian interpretation on the threshold we cross at the beginning of the calendar year. Blessed chalk can be found by the Christmas crib.