Years ago, when Jamelah was still small, we began making our own nativity scene. A ceramics store downtown provided the figures. We talked it over, picked out how we wanted our scene to look, we painted them up, took them back and they fired them for us. We began with the 3 central figures; Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. Each year we would add another figure or 2 depending on what we could afford. We watched our nativity grow each year.

The store went of business but we found another place in the town next door and continued to grow our nativity. We took in a couple of our figures to try and match their stock and was able to get a couple more figurines but that was all and that was the last year we kept that tradition. However, our scene was pretty much completed. We had wanted to purchase a few more pieces (the animals, sheep and whatnot) but the last pieces we bought we not on the same scale and our animals are a bit large, noticeable, but OK.

This year, Christmas caught us unprepared. With our schedules being packed and spending a lot of time at Mom's, somehow our tree just did not get put up. It just doesn't look anything like Christmas at our house, but our neighbors more than make up for it.

Wednesday I decided I had to do something, even if it would not be very much. I strung clear LED lights around our herb garden pots. Cleared off the stop shelf of our bookcase to make way for the things regularly kept on our end table, and set up our nativity in its regular spot. Now it feels like Christmas. The rest of the house may look sadly lacking in Christmas cheer but this tradition is in place. On Christmas morning we will shoo Sweet Pea off the couch (which she owns) and read the Christmas story from Luke. Then we will thank God for the greatest gift ever given and it will truly be Christmas.