Friday, December 19, 2008

Baby Jesus, It's Cold Outside

People who know me know that I'm not a religious person. And for the benefit of those of you that don't know me .... I'm not a religious person. However, having grown up in a Catholic household I still have a fascination with religion, specifically the Christian faiths, and it is because of this fascination that I have collected religious mementos, books and other trinkets over the years. Take the Wall of Faith for example:

Located just outside of our bathroom, the Wall of Faith is made up of crosses from all over the world, and I think each one is beautiful. In fact, I love crosses so much I would actually like to get one tattooed on my back. Unfortunately the pain of the last one is still very fresh in my mind, so it may be a few years before I forget. But, if you're ever on vacation and can't think of what to bring back for me, then how about a nice cross? I only ask that you make sure there's no one on it. Too morbid for me.

I also have a special place in my heart for Pope John Paul II, which I believe is adequately conveyed through my pope candles, snow globes and most importantly:

My Pope-On-A-Rope
(handmade by my dear friend, Kari)

The current pope, Benedict something (?), is on the other side of the soap, but let's face it, we're all just waiting to see who the next one's gonna be, so I don't count him.

There are many other items in my collection - my Mother Mary night night (which I don't use because it kind of creeps me out), my Last Supper lunch box, and I even have a Last Supper serving plate (thanks, Kim). Then there's Christmas ....

Every year my favorite part of unwrapping and putting out the Christmas decorations is finding all of my nativity sets. I only have a few, but each one has it's own story and comes from a special place. This year I added my grandmother's nativity set that she handmade back in '82. It goes without saying that it's my most special nativity set.

But the most EXCITING ONE was added this year and I got it FOR FREE on Freecycle. I don't know which part is more exciting - the fact that it was free or the fact that it LIGHTS UP and is currently in front of my house, nestled in a 5'x3' wooden stable.

If you were to ask Brian he would probably say that the fact that it's in front of our house is not that exciting. But if you asked Charlotte she would say to you, "Baby Jeshush .... Outside .... Cold .... Blanket". Yes, the little baby Jesus now sports a small blanket because Charlotte was worried that he was cold in the snow. That's all she talks about now, from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed.

Now I may not be a religious person (my miscellaneous collections aside), but I do have to thank baby Jesus for helping teach my daughter an important lesson ... Compassion. I knew there was a reason I put those nativity sets out.

2 comments:

Avramov Shenanigans said...

Wait till you open your Xmas Present! I am so glad Charlotte thought to put a blanket on Baby Jesus I always had a probelm with that myself. Poor baby Jesus you'd think the least we could do is see that he's kept warm. Merry Christmas and as Bella says "Happy Birthday Jesus!" Love, Kari
P.S. Thanks for giving my craftiness a platform for all to see!

Anonymous said...

Must be a St. Barb's thing. I have just started researching the nativity and becoming aquainted with all the interesting facets of the Christian faith. Maybe it is our place in time as mothers..who knows. Either way, I am VERY jealous of your light up nativity!! Not a ONE to speak of in our neighborhood.