Writing Workshop: Nativity

I actually did not know which prompt I’d pick until last night.

3.) Your nativity scene. (inspired by Confessions of an Average Housewife)

We don’t have a Nativity. Yet. Our family does not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. It is more about the spirit of family and giving, reserving our celebration of Christian beliefs for our worship times.

DH and I have never been moved to purchase a Nativity of our own for this and other reasons. DH’s family have never owned a Nativity. I wanted to at least acknowledge what others celebrate in some small way so I have two ornaments. One is a carved piece of olive wood from Jerusalem that I bought at Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland when T1 was a little over a year old. It’s a stylized carving and I love it. I try to hang it near the top of the tree.

The other is a Demdaco Willow Tree plaque ornament of Mary, Joseph, and Christ. It sits in my curio cabinet with my other Demdaco figurines. I honest could not tell you if I bought it or if it had been a gift.

Holy Family plaque by Demdaco Willow Tree; image from their online catalog

 

T1 & T2 have asked why we don’t have our own Nativity though they know we do not celebrate Christmas that way. I told them that we did not have to buy one because I would one day get the one from my family.

Low and behold last night I found out how close I was to NOT getting it.

It is a beautiful German-made Nativity that my parents bought in Germany while stationed there in the early 70s. My sister was born there while my brother and I were born in the states. According to my mother last night, all things that originated in Germany belong to my sister.

“Uh, no. It was always my job as the youngest to set up the Nativity. Sis and bro had other jobs.” My sister would help hang special decorations* while my brother, being the boy, would set up and therefore inherit the trains. I, the youngest, set up the Nativity. We also had the tradition that Baby Jesus would be hidden in the house and on Christmas morning Santa will have put him in the manger.

*I believe there is their original tree topper that was from Germany as well and this was to go to my sister.

My children, being the only grandchildren for 9 years, have been setting up the Nativity at my parents’ house. So you can see why I feel the Nativity should naturally come to me and my family. Of course if you go by my theory that the youngest should get it then naturally that would fall to my sister’s children, skipping me (and mine) entirely. My sister is not interested in it.

Good. Because I’d have to fight her for it. Probably not the right spirit of Christmas a Nativity should invoke.

I did ask my mother why she was giving it away prematurely. Her answer was that we rarely got to her house to set it up prior to Christmas and so the tradition and sentimental value was diminishing.

She is bringing it to me on Friday. I don’t mind getting it early. I’ll try to be grateful and not act insulted. It’s not necessarily a good thing when you have to remind your parents of their traditions.

Writing Prompts:

1.) 10 things I Wanted for Christmas as a Kid but Didn’t Get and Still Want. (inspired by Hello Giggles)
2.) If you HAD to marry a celebrity…who would you choose and why? (Let’s just pretend you’re not actually already married mkay?)
3.) Your nativity scene. (inspired by Confessions of an Average Housewife)
4.) Share a story from your college years. (inspired by Little Miss Momma)
5.) Describe your least favorite meal growing up.

For more information about Mama Kat’s World Famous Writing Workshop, click on that trophy over there…