how lovely are your branches....
Can you guess what we did tonight? Yup... Me, Sis, and Matt put up the tree tonight. Eli didn't want to help and was at his BFF's house. I have a sad history with living trees, so we have a nice 4 foot pre-lit fake one. Matt put the tree together, I made the paper chain and fluffed out the branches, and Sis put all the decorations up. Gorgeous!!!
There's one thing that has been on our tree since Eli was old enough to understand that you don't put them in your mouth... Bells. I can't remember the first time I read the book, but Polar Express has been a favorite of mine forever, even before it became a movie my kids adore. And while I'm an adult and my kids are growing, and Santa is becoming nothing more than a secular symbol to the holidays, we still put them there as a reminder to believe.
Because Christmas, with all it's bows and ribbons and all those other trappings, is still a celebration of the birth of Jesus. And to keep a hold of the true meaning of Christmas, it is very important that we all believe. Can you imagine the love God had for us that He sent His one and only son? Knowing what humanity would do to him? It baffles my mind. And every time I see a Nativity, I feel an overwhelming love and I am in awe.
One of Sissy's favorite parts of "tree night" is taking out my Mama's nativity and putting each piece in place. It's my favorite part, too. Nativities have always been my favorite part of the decorations in December. I collect them, but this one will always be my favorite. My mom used to do arts and crafts for physical therapy and one year in Germany, she made this one out of ceramics. Having worked with poured ceramics, I know how hard it is to hold those small pieces and sand the seams smooth while keeping the details. Can you imagine the love it took for Mama to make each piece? There are 2 cows, 2 donkeys, an angel, 2 shepherds, the 3 wise men, 3 camels, and my 2 favorite parts.... Mary, Joseph, and Jesus... and 4 sheep. I wonder if Mama made those 4 sheep to remind her family, a family of 4, of the love God had for us? Because those 4 sheep are the smallest pieces in the set, and I bet with the way Mama's hands had started to twist and bend, they were the hardest to make. They once served as a reminder for my Mama's family of 4... and now they serve to remind me and my family of God's amazing love.
Talk about awe-inspiring.
SMOOCHIES YA'LL!! I'll be back again soon!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment