In years past I've let Christmas sneak up on me. I've vowed for this year to be different. I've been listening to (and enjoying!) Christmas music, the soft glow of the twinkle lights set up in our living room, and finding the perfect gifts. And it snowed for the first time yesterday. A lot!
Tonight, I attended the most festive party of my Boston existence. The spread of food was mind boggling for one person to put together (rockstar!), but we ate and ate and ate some more. Everyone was festively attired, and we gathered around the piano to sing Christmas songs four separate times. Two things we learned: 1) "O Holy Night" is a very, very high song and 2) "We Three Kings" sounds an awful lot like a pirates' song. But that might have been the homemade egg nog talking.
My grandmother collects nativities from every place she visits. In my continued quest to a) be more like my grandparents and b) revel in nostalgic traditions, I decided to take on the same challenge. I'm not at 100 percent, but I'm trying. And let's be honest, some locations facilitate easier procurement than others alright? So my home is now hosting the truest Spirit of Christmas! Let's take a tour shall we?
This is perhaps my favorite purchase of this Thanksgiving trip. I saw this Nativity in Mexico City our first day at an outdoor market. By the time we went back that afternoon (as I didn't want to haul it around), the entire market had been taken down. Somewhat devastated, we vowed to spend time the next day looking. Que suerte to have found it again from a different vendor, huh? The pieces are probably 9 inches tall and somehow I didn't get the shepherd photoed:
The set is tiny! I feel like a giant trying to set these pieces in their proper place. The woman who sold both Colleen and I this set in Mexico City (yep, I bought two) was too adorable. She saw us looking at nativities and unearthed these sets. She unwrapped the baby Jesus and in her sweet Spanish (that I understood! holy gift of tongues!) told us how cute he was. Agreeing, we immediately bought without even seeing the other pieces. When the price is right... Colleen aptly named this set "The Grab Bag Nativity." 
Los Gauchos de Argentina:
My final nativity piece was purchased last year in Italy. The snow globe plays Silent Night and I'm still ecstatic that it didn't break in my suitcase:
I hope you're each enjoying the most wonderful time of the year. Take the time to enjoy it! President Monson reminded us in tonight's Christmas Devotional that Christmas shouldn't be a time of pressure and fatigue, but rather we should relax and enjoy the Spirit of the Season. Join me, the weather is nice.
2 comments:
Best Christmas blog, EVER.
You have learned the lesson early, my dear. It's all about the baby.(and if the baby Jesus is ugly, don't buy it)
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