The Nativity

Christmastime has held a special and nostalgic place in my heart ever since I was a very little girl. 

From a young age, I easily fell in love with the twinkling lights, the red and green decorations, gold ribbon and silver bells. I felt enchanted by the Christmas carols being joyfully sung at every turn and I was begining to awaken to the wonder of the season. Experiencing the true significance of Christmas. 

Maybe it was because I was blessed to be raised in a Christian household. Where my parents taught me the true Christmas story and all about how Jesus came as a baby, born in a manger to save the world from our sins. It all seemed so significant to me. The festivities, the story of Christ’s birth, the traditions, the excitement. 

Some of my first Christmas memories are of going shopping at Mervyn’s with my mom and my brother to pick out a new ornament for our Christmas tree. Another favorite is of helping to decorate the tree with silver strands of shiny tinsel while the tiny green music box chimed a Christmas tune underneath the tree. 

Those memories, along with many others, come flooding back when I think about my early childhood Christmas years. However, one particular memory I cherish the most is how magical it felt each year as we would pull out the storage box that held our very special nativity scene. It was the centerpiece for the Christmas season each year, as we set it up to display the birth of Christ. 

Unwrapping this treasured nativity from its box was a thrill for me. Pictured above, it was gifted to us from wonderful, life-long friends of our family, Harold and Escaine Brown. Harold and his wife Escaine had hand-painted each piece with beautiful, rich colors. It was incredibly unique. Delicate, breakable and marked “fragile”- it was always treated with such care. 

Each year, I would reach my little hand into the storage box and carefully pull out each intricate piece. One-by-one, individually wrapped in their own soft, velvet bags, I would uncover each figurine and set it in its place under the stable frame. 

There was a Mary, a Joseph, three wisemen, and three shepherds. The set also included a donkey, two big camels, a manger of hay and of course, my very favorite – baby Jesus. 

As a little girl who collected baby dolls, I loved the baby Jesus the most – partially because he was a baby (I was all about the babies). Partially still, I realized the significance of this particular baby and the gift that He gave to the world. 

My mom and I would place the figures in a row all facing the manger, encircling baby Jesus, lying in the manger. He was the centerpiece of the nativity scene…and I knew, even as a child, that He was the centerpiece of the season, too. 

It was equally as exciting for me that my mom used this same nativity set every year to bring to church to teach the children about the birth of Jesus. The Sunday before Christmas we would pack the whole set back up and take it with us. My mom, being the Sunday School teacher, would pass out a piece of the set to each child. I, of course, would lay claim on the baby Jesus every year (the perks of being the Sunday school teacher’s daughter). As my mom would begin reading the story from the Bible, we would all listen for our turn to place our figures in their place. This was a reoccurring highlight of the Christmas season for me. 

Unfortunately, year after year, pieces of this beloved nativity set would begin to break, until eventually, there was nothing left to save. The memories will forever remain such a big part of my childhood, even if there is nothing left to physically grasp any longer. 

The impression these memories have left on my heart still spark such joy and wonder. The nativity scene is truly the centerpiece of Christmas. Luke 2:1-20 

Jesus, born of a virgin, came into a sinful world to be our sacrificial Lamb. He was all powerful, yet humble and full of grace. 

When I think about Christmas, my mind pictures what that very first Christmas Day looked like. Where in a stable, in Bethlehem, our savior was born. Christ the Lord. 

I’m thankful for the nativity scene my family was gifted all those years ago. It blessed me immensely to find this picture of it and remember how special it was.

This Christmas season, may we all reflect on that first Christmas Day and remember that Jesus came into this world to give us hope, to give us life and to give us salvation – through him. 

Whether you grew up in a home that taught you the true meaning of Christmas or not, it is never too late to start teaching your own children or the loved ones around you. 

Jesus knew this world was broken and He came to renew, redeem and restore! That is why the angels said in Luke 2:10,

“…Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” 

Let’s rejoice! 

Away in a manger

No crib for a bed

The little Lord Jesus

Lay down His sweet head

The stars in the sky

Look down where He lay

The little Lord Jesus

Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing

The poor baby wakes

But little Lord Jesus

No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus

Look down from the sky

And stay by my side

‘Til morning is nigh

Be near me, Lord Jesus

I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever

And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children

In Thy tender care

And take us to heaven

To live with Thee there

Take us to heaven

To live with Thee there

(“Cradle Song” by William J. Kirkpatrick, “Mueller” by James R. Murray, in 1882. Based on Luke 2:4-7)

Wishing each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and may our focus remain on the miraculous birth of Christ – the Savior of our sins. 

Be blessed, friends! 

~ Stephanie