Nativity

My grandma always displayed a nativity at Christmas time. She used a simple nativity with painted clay statues when I was growing up. I loved to play with this nativity, especially the tiny sheep and baby Jesus because they were the smallest pieces of the nativity and I thought they were the cutest ones too.

I regularly arranged the pieces of my grandma’s nativity so they were inside the barn. Grandma always placed just Jesus, Mary and Joseph inside the barn, leaving the shepherds, wise men, and livestock to stand outside the barn. This was December! It was cold outside and I thought everyone should be inside the barn, where it was warm, so I would always re-arrange grandma’s nativity so everyone fit inside the barn. I wanted everyone to be warm.

This did not please my grandma. She didn’t like it when I rearranged her nativity and would tell me to stop it if she found me cramming everyone into the barn. One day, she expressed her frustration to my mother and asked her why I keep putting all of the figures inside the barn. My mom suggested grandma ask me, so she did. I explained that it’s cold outside, so they should all be inside the barn where it’s warm. I don’t remember my grandma correcting me when I rearranged her nativity after that. How can you argue with that kind of kid logic?

When my grandma passed away in 2014, I asked for her nativity. A few years later, I acquired the barn she set the figurines in as well. I set her nativity up every year at Christmastime. I don’t cram the figures into the barn-like I used to, but I do tend to arrange them close to the entrance of the barn. I also leave the wise men a distance from the barn since they don’t reach the Christ Child until Epiphany (January 6). I don’t believe in the divinity of Jesus, so my friends often ask why I display a nativity. I smile and tell them this story.

They all understand in the end.