Putting Away My Favorite Christmas Decorations

It's time. We've hauled the bins up from the basement, and begun to undecorate the tree.  It always makes me a little sad to put away all the things we only see once a year. They are like old friends that come and visit and cheer us for a few weeks, then go away again.

Of all my decorations, I especially love the Nativity sets that I've collected from around the world.  Our largest is an Italian Fontanini set we started back in 1992 and we have added many pieces over the years.  It's been played with every Christmas morning for the past 20 years as we read the Christmas story before we open gifts.

Another favorite is the set we bought in Israel last year.  It's carved of olive wood and was made in Bethlehem. We bought it in a little stall in the old city of Jerusalem, from a jovial Arab Baptist man. He even pulled out three different sets, so I could choose the pieces I liked best for the set I would take home.  I love having a nativity from the very place where Jesus first came into our world.

One other set that is special to me is the tiny little Haitian creche scene.  The pieces are simple and made of clay, and the stable is a coconut shell.  I love it because it's an example of how each culture views Jesus' birth within the context of their own understanding.  Jesus and all the characters have dark skin, of course. Most of the extra people in this set are children, because everywhere you go in Haiti, there are children around, watching the action.

Nativity sets help me remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas.