Tag: christmas

Nativity Sets: For the Asking

From Israel                            From a Friend                      From Friends

This year, I again displayed my Nativity Sets in my living room, yet they do not have the same appeal as in other years. I think it’s because I’m the only one who sees them. So what is their significance? Are they set up only for my appreciation, or should others view them? I can enjoy their beauty and remember how I’ve accumulated them, but is that enough?

I’m thankful that Becky and Paul also decorate their space –– indoors and outside. Becky displays her nativity sets on the sofa table, along with a snowy (cottony) scene on the bottom shelf. Quite lovely! And the Christmas tree is brilliant with colored lights and ornaments saved over the years. I’d guess that most ornaments have a story. I enjoy sitting and viewing the tree.

As for my nativity sets, the photo on the left shows our first set, which Bill brought from Israel, along with the Flight into Egypt (up right front in the photo on the right). These are treasured, and I’ve even polished them with olive oil on occasion. The set in the middle photo was a gift from a friend in Terre Haute, IN. I added the angels on the left, a gift from my mother-in-law years ago. Putting this set on the piano also gives me room to add Christmas cards and books of carols. The photo on the right is a display from several friends. On the left is a musical one, and in the center is a tiny set from Kentucky. The angel in the far middle is one we used as a tree topper.

Now to the title I gave this blog post: “for the asking.” There is no reason for keeping all these nativity sets for more years to come. I’m going to offer them to our children and grandchildren. The sets need new homes, to be enjoyed by next generations. In case they don’t see this blog post, I’ll also copy and paste it to them in emails.

On another note, we decorate splendidly for Christmas, and I think the outside lights on our homes and businesses add radiance to this dull winter season. So, I’m all for it. But I’ve often wondered why we do little in the area of decorations for Good Friday and Easter, perhaps only at church. These are days that are worth receiving our attention. After all, Jesus came as a baby with the intention to give His life for our redemption and then rose from the grave to assure our eternal life forever. Just something to think about. How would I (and you) decorate for Easter?

It Will Be Different

Becky’s homemade stockings are hung again for 2024. Photo taken in 2017.

Christmas will be different this year, and it’s not only because Bill has gone Home. Last Christmas I noticed Bill watched others open gifts instead of attending to his own. After Becky’s special dinner, Bill tried out all her sweet selections. Later we sat and gazed at the decorated tree. This year Grandpa’s stocking will not be hung with the others. That’s as it should be.

Gearhart family plans are different. Chrissa, Leo, and Joana will leave for Brazil, South America, on Christmas Eve to visit Leo’s mother and family. Michael and Morgan continue to live in California, and it’s a long trip for a short visit. Stephen and Emily will join us for the day. Added is another change. Paul’s mother, Ruth, in Illinois, now lives with her daughter. While Bev and her husband visited family in California, Becky spent a month with Ruth. That meant Becky was not here for early Christmas decorating. Paul’s main job is outdoor decorations and they are special. He put up our tree with lights, but we’re saving the ornaments for Becky so she can connect with memories. I set out their nativity display along with arranging manger scenes in my living room.

The rest of my family will celebrate in their own settings, scattered in other states. My family also has its changes. My two sisters and I are now widows, and we enjoyed a September visit together in Mobile, Alabama, my birthplace. We shared past memories and made new ones. My children and grandkids live in OH, PA, MO, TN, IN, KY, CA, MD (now in Japan). I send Christmas cards to family in eight different states. I love sending and receiving Christmas cards and letters. It’s a great way to connect with friends we’ve made over the years.

While family plans are different this year, the “reason for the season” remains clear. The story of Jesus’ birth is never worn out. I learned recently that the manger in Bethlehem was made of stone rather than the wood we see in Nativity sets. Shepherds kept their lambs in mangers, safely wrapped and ready for sacrifice. Mary wrapped her son Jesus, our sacrificial Lamb, and laid Him in a manger. In this I rejoice, for Christ has made the difference in my life. I trust it’s true for you.

Decorating for Christmas

Manger Collection from Jerusalem (plus)

Thanksgiving Day is sacred for the Gearhart family. We do not even listen to Christmas carols before that special day, nor do we start the Hallmark Christmas specials. But the day after: it’s an active time of getting the Christmas decorations out of storage. Paul is the one who distributes the totes to the appropriate rooms, and he untangles the cords of lights and even decorates the outside with lights, a manger scene, and a small tree he proudly found a few years ago. In the family room a lounge chair is moved to the sunporch and an artificial tree stands in that corner space. Becky starts to hang ornaments after she helps Paul strings the lights. Many of the ornaments have been handmade by family members. On the oblong sofa table Becky arranges her manger collection on the upper level. It’s quite a variety––from porcelain-like figures to a handmade Peanuts manger scene. Their cardboard village adorns the lower shelf amid cotton-ball snow.

I get to unpack our tote and put up our manger collection, mostly gifts from friends. Our favorite is made from olive wood, the one Bill bought in Jerusalem many years ago. We also have a wooden Christmas tree with lights that Paul handcrafted for us long before we moved to Indy.

One useful practice is of replacement value. As we move the year-round décor from tables, we pack those items in the emptied totes, ready to display after Epiphany on January 6th. And the next day is Becky’s birthday.

I close with this question: Why decorate if family will not be gathering on Christmas Day? Do the decorations count if only viewed by those who live in our home?

My answer is Yes! Decorations at Christmas seek to focus our attention on God’s greatest gift: Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, lived on our earth, died for our sins, risen to grant us new life.

The last verse of “O Holy Night” exclaims:

Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!