Pictures of Christmas

I'm so excited! A sweet lady in Dallas named Donna sent us this Fisher Price manger scene. It sits in the dining room so the kids can see it every day. If you saw all the grubby little fingerprints all around it, you'd know how grateful I am to have a child-friendly manger scene.

You might notice one or five items missing. Baby Jesus will only arrive on Christmas morning. The three kings and their camel are on their way.

There they are! When Tom first told the kids that the Kings would have to make their way slowly to the stable, my eyes glazed over a bit. It takes commitment to make sure a fun tradition like this takes place every day. Tom noticed my reticience and assured me he would take full responsibility for it.

So, where is he then?? In Lusaka, that's where! And who is making sure to move the Kings every night? That's right!

  

I've only forgotten to move them once so far. It was when I had them up on top of this painting. My explanation to the kids was that it was such a hard climb up there that the Kings and their camel needed a rest. 

Here are my favorite traditions this year. The wrapped Christmas stories which we do every night before dinner. The kids nearly have Twas the Night Before Christmas memorized by now. Often we'll wind up with singing a Christmas carol or two.

And, this year we are doing the Jesse Tree. Every day before lunch we read (or tell) a Bible story of the characters, and/or events, who have made up Jesus' genealogy. Then we hang an ornament on the mini tree representing the story for the day. You can see the 10 commandments--boiled down to the two most important as Jesus taught--and Joseph's coat of many colors, hanging on its own little pipe cleaner hanger.

The kids have really been able to learn so much about the true meaning of Christmas this year.