So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger- Luke 2:16
We have a tradition in our home that may be a little different than that of other families. The first decoration we put out each Christmas is our Nativity.
David calls it our “Opening Ceremony” to the Christmas Season. Our Nativity set itself is nothing special, however the meaning and what it represents is very special to our family. Each year we gather the family around and read the story of the birth of Jesus. As each character is revealed in the story their figure is placed in our nativity scene. We even light the star when it is mentioned in the scriptures.
When Caleb was 5 he dropped one of the kings and his hand broke off. Eleven years later Madilyn found the hand in the box the set is stored in and we were able to glue it back onto our one handed king. I can’t tell you how many times I had looked in that box for that little hand. Now one of the kings is missing a jewel from his crown. Maybe we will find it among the wrappings and packing peanuts that help the figures safe while they are in storage.
Many times over the years I thought about replacing the set with something a bit more fancy and expensive. But every time I think about getting a new one I think of all of the years this one has been with us. I have so many memories of setting this up with our children, our nieces, nephews and several of our foster children. I remember all of the little faces of the children that have heard the true story of Christmas being told through this set.
Our Nativity sits in our foyer. It is the first thing we see each day as we enter the living area of our house and its the first thing that all guest who visit our home will see. For me and David and hopefully for our children the birth of Christ will always be the center of our holiday celebration. I want my children to remember why we have Christmas. This is why our Nativity is the first decoration we display and why we do it the way we do- piece by piece verse by verse.