The True Meaning Of Christmas In Our Home

For us, like many of you, the true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love it all ~ the wreaths, the trees all lit up with beautiful lights, the different ornaments and telling the stories behind each one (if there is one), the fudge, cookies and cakes (oh yum!!) and gifts we give to our loved ones and friends.  The kids, and then the grandkids, were taught the first Christmas gifts were the gifts brought from the Magi, the Wise Men, who traveled by camels from far away lands to give the Baby gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Teaching them the Magi followed a star which hung over the stable in Bethlehem.  In the fields, the shepherds heard the Angels singing and were told of the great news of the Baby in the stable in town.

For Don and I, Christmas is centered around Christ.  We try to keep the reason for the season front and center as much as possible. Over the next few weeks, I'll visit many of your blogs and see what you are displaying as I love to see how everyone decorates!  You are all so creative and make such beautiful displays!  And, I'll show some of the vignettes and trees, wreaths, and cards I make, the goodies baked.  In each room in our home, there is one theme that runs constant - a Nativity Scene is displayed to remind us what to focus on.

 

This Nativity was handed down to me by my Granny.  She brought it with her from New York and she had replaced it with another.  It was given to me the year my daughter was born.  I remember playing with it myself as a child.  She asked me if I had one, and she knew times were really tight for us.  She took this out and gave it to me in a shoe box - and you know, for years, I used that shoe box as the stable, covering it with the sheet I use as a snow blanket!  I bought this stable about 8 or 9 years ago for $3 or so after Christmas!  It was meant for my Nativity, don't you think?

My sisters, cousins and I would pretend we were playing the parts of the Nativity.  My children did the same thing, as did the older grandchildren and now the young ones are.  I remember one year when our two oldest grandsons and our daughter lived with us, every morning Ryan (now 21) would go off to school and make sure each piece was in the exact right place.  During the day his brother, Jeff, (now 18) would take each piece, people and animals alike, and crowd them all around the the manger so they "could all see the Baby!"  For Ryan, it was like torture, he would run in each day to find the Nativity "ALL MESSED UP!"  He would promptly fix it and watch that little brother didn't touch it the rest of the evening.  Next day, same thing!  Jeff so wanted everyone to see Baby Jesus!  

I love Christmas, and I love it all.  And, while I know where my center is, this time of year I'm filled with excitement.  I just love it, and I know many of you do, too!  I've seen some of the beautiful ideas and decorating you've already done and can't wait to see more of them!  Thanks for taking a peak at my very old Nativity.  Near as we can tell, it is around 75 to 80 years old.  As you can see in some of the photos, some pieces are very well worn from being handled by so many little hands.  And, isn't that what He asked?  "Bring the children to Me...I wish everyone were like little children, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these,"  (Taken from stories in Matthew, Mark and Luke.)

I wish us all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas season!

Donna