I love the Christmas story. I actually love the Santa part too, but that is such a small part of the celebration. I love getting the house ready. I love the smell of the freshly cut pine tree in the living room. I love the brightly colored bows sitting in a big basket waiting expectantly to be chosen for packages that I never seem to get around to wrapping in time to worry about ribbons and bows. I love garland; the star garland and the cranberry beads. I like real cranberries and popcorn threaded to put on the "cemetery trees" (another story). Some years we wrap the tree in raw wool spun into long fluffy ropes. I like how the bird ornaments look on the wool. I even like the eco damaging tinsel though we rarely use it any more.
But most of all, I love nativities. Nativities serve to remind us of the Christmas story, and that is, after all, what and why we celebrate. I love to pick up my nativity pieces and handle them before I choose where to place them. I have the whole Avon pure white nativity complete with the Holy Family and the donkey who carried Mary. It includes the Angel of the Lord, the shepherds, wise men, camels, and sheep. And the cow. My daughter worked really hard to get me the cow, a Christmas gift from her heart.
This year, since my grand baby is only two, this beautiful but breakable nativity rests on the mantle piece out of reach but I have always made sure that the little ones had a nativity set of their own. Felt, wood, plastic, resin, we had lots of them over the years and have the remnants of many with one piece or another missing. I always felt it was important for the kids to play act with them. They would move Mary and play with Baby Jesus ( we never held the tradition that Jesus couldn't be in the manger until Christmas though we do have a neighbor boy whose family holds that tradition and we thing he may be responsible for a few missing babies).
I think I have 15 nativity sets though I haven't unwrapped all of them yet this year so I can't count. The pure white one is my favorite for many reasons, but I really love them all. I have a beautiful locally hand-carved wooden one with no adornment and it feels precious in my hands. When I feel the curved figures, I feel close to the expectant woman somehow. This one feels earthy and real. My father was a wood worker, a craftsman really, so this one makes me think of him.
And I have one that is rough, gray cement like material that has a coarse black wire stable. I put that one on black cloth with shredded off- white paper that looks like straw. The short crude figures touch my heart in a way the others don't.
And I have tiny ones. A little pewter one I leave on the piano all year long. It is all one piece and fits in the palm of my hand. My brother Carl gave it to me years ago and it keeps the Christmas story in my heart throughout the seasons but it also makes me think of Carl when it catches my eye. I like that.
I even have a Playmobile nativity. It is the most work to set up with it's pop up cardboard background and the zillion pieces to be put together. I am hoping Axel who is now eleven will put it up for me tomorrow.
There are more. Smooth, softly painted ceramic ones, cheap dime store and catalogue versions that are tucked on every surface in every room upstairs and down for the kids to play with whether baby Jesus is missing or not.
Tonight I put up my metal one. It is copper and silver. It has a very different feel than any of the others. It is shiny. I remember the first time I saw it and knew I wanted it in my collection.
I love to look at each Mary, each Joseph and each swaddled baby and think about the story over and over. I have a Hummel Nativity and in that one Mary is riding on the donkey and Joseph is leading her. The colors are magnificent but my favorite part of that one is the donkey. How grateful a pregnant Mary must have been for a donkey to ride on as they traveled to Bethlehem.
I am 59 years old and still, every year for Christmas, my mother gives me a book, a piece of jewelry and a doll. I am so very grateful that for so many years my "dolls" were Nativity sets.
I am so grateful that my home is so full of these beautiful reminders of the true cause of celebration. I am so blessed to hold the Christmas story in my heart.
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