Christmas Story

This is one of the greatest inventions ever!

I don't know about you, but growing up I always loved nativities. They were, and still are, my favorite decorations for Christmas. But most nativities are fragile and not meant for children's hands. So when my sister found an awesome deal online a couple years ago, I jumped on it and ordered the Fisher Price nativity set for my future kids. I love that Kalianna and I can sit down together and play with her nativity while we talk about the Christmas story. And she Loves that baby Jesus!

Last week for family night I sat the girls next to me and we acted out the Christmas story with their toys. Then the next day, I sat Maggie on the floor next to the coffee table and asked Kalianna to play with her while I went to the restroom. This is what I overheard:

"This is Mary and Joseph. They got married in the temple (love that marriage = temple!) Then baby Jesus came. Then the three kings came and brought baby Jesus presents for his birthday. Then they all had cake!" (because what's a birthday without cake?) Then she continued to explain all the animals that were there to Maggie, and the noises each animal made. "Then baby Jesus slept in the hay."

Talk about moments that just melt your heart! I absolutely love that Kalianna knows what Christmas is about! She picks up on more pieces of the story each time we tell it, and she loves to hear about how baby Jesus was born.

After that, Matt and I decided not to talk about Santa Claus yet. We don't want to ruin everything she has learned by throwing in a fat jolly dude who shimmies down the chimney. She knows who Santa Claus is, she recognizes him when she sees pictures and other things. But we've never gone over the story with her, so she doesn't exactly know what it is he does. I just can't bring myself to focus on that aspect of Christmas when she is So Excited about Jesus' birthday! It seriously makes me one proud mamma! We definitely don't want to take Santa out of Christmas, I think that's just plain silly. It's a great tradition and Santa Claus teaches kids about giving and love, which is what this season is all about. But on the other hand, we want the focus in our house to be on the story of Christmas and Christ's birth. Santa is still welcome in our home, as long as he wipes his feet, and we will carry on the tradition of leaving milk and cookies as well as carrots for the reindeer. We just don't want to put all the focus and attention on that.