On Monday we went to a live Nativity. It was a huge surprise. We heard talk of it the day before at church, but we were a bit skeptical. We knew it was outside (it was snowy and about 20 degrees), we also heard there were camels and shuttles. What? We had to check it out.
We got the kids all bundled against their will and 45 minutes later (it really takes FOREVER) we were on our way. Fortunately it was only a few minutes away. We parked at a chapel in Alpine where sure enough there were shuttles. And not just any shuttles. We were herded into horse trailers where we sat on bales of hay. That alone made the kids day.
The shuttles took us to a nearby farm where we were greeted by what looked like a shepherd. He told us the story of Jesus' birth. We were then told to follow the lit path to Bethlehem. On our walk we saw Roman soldiers and a family traveling on donkey. We got to the "city" and were met by hard working towns folk. They were making unleavened bread, weaving baskets, carving wood, tending to real sheep and camels. It was really impressive. We talked about how different things were back when Jesus was born. As we continued we found ourselves in a small barn with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Eden LOVED that baby. We explained to the kids that it wasn't really them, but just pretend. Eden didn't want to leave for a long time. There were "angels" singing, and I can't blame her. It was very special.
On the way home we talked all about what we saw and experienced and the real purpose of Christmas. They seemed to kind of understand. As we're driving home Eden says, "I'm baby Jesus. Mom, you're Mary, and Daddy Joseph. Who's Taj?" Micah joked that he was the donkey. It was funny at the moment, but now, three days later Eden and Taj are still playing "baby Jesus." I'm not sure how appropriate this game is, but it sure makes me smile. I'm really glad we went to the Nativity. It's something I'll remember in my bank of Christmas memories for a long time, and hopefully the kids will too.
2 comments:
That sounds awesome. I wish we had something like that over here.Eden sounds like a really fun little girl!
That sounds great! I wouldn't worry about it being appropriate or not. Of course, this is coming from the mom who'se kids like to play that they are on "Team Jesus" and the bad guys are on "Team Satan". I'm just glad that they are involving Jesus in their daily lives!
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