Every Christmas morning when I was little, before I could open my
presents, my family assigned to me the special job of placing the
delicate figurines of Baby Jesus in each of the mangers in the
nativity sets around my house. I would excitedly go from one to
another, completing the scene of Jesus’ birth that each set of ceramic
figures portrayed. Even though it was a small duty, throughout all of
the Advent I would look forward to arranging both the shepherds and
the sheep to face the Holy Family, along with the Angel looking on
with a prayerful disposition.
Although I do not think that I completely understood what it
truly meant at that age, that small act inspired the way that I look
at Christmas even now. It taught me that throughout Advent and even on
Christmas Day, the joy that Jesus brings with His birth is enough to
make even a small child forget about all of the toys they might
receive for even a second. And that one second could change that
child’s view of Christmas. So to prepare for Christmas this year, the
Nativity scene is a great reminder of what should come first- both to
an adult, and to the smallest child.