Our neighborhood church did a wonderful thing on Friday, holding a live Nativity scene complete with indoor marketplace designed after things that would have been in Christ's time. There was a booth for making perfume with spices, a rope-making station, and a booth where the kids could grind wheat and rye. They invited the public, and had caroling and refreshments. It was really nice, the kids loved it and was a great way for us to make sure that they know why we are celebrating Christmas. (read: it's not just to receive presents).
They also had a craft for the children to do, for Jackson it was making a clothespin nativity (above). For Ben, it was making Baby Jesus in the manger. Yes, that's Baby Jesus himself below, designed and made by a 3 year old. Ben was quick to point out that in the live Nativity, there were two kings and a queen instead of the three kings. When he exclaimed, "look, one of the kings is a queen instead," without missing a beat the girl with the crown replied, "Well, someone had to ask for directions, didn't they?"
