Putting Away the Decorations

We just finished putting the Christmas decorations away at our house. Before they're completely gone from sight, however, I thought I'd share these pics with you. A wonderful couple in the church gave Sylvia this lovely manger set for Christmas, and as you can see, she enjoyed playing with it. Here's what it looked like when she first set it up.


This was before Christmas, so of course, Jesus hadn't arrived yet.


Then Jasmine, Cinderella, Ariel and Mulan came to be with Mary and Joseph.


Jesus is born in a pile of gold tokens! Another princess on the scene, plus a Polly Pocket hiding behind the shepherd. And Sylvia's new headlamp - the Bethlehem star or another gift for Jesus?


The final scene, complete with new Polly Pockets, a Littlest Pet Shop cat, and a purple hedgehog. Not sure about the meaning of the barrettes up top, either, but they managed to stay through a few weeks of changes.

Sylvia's six now, and she's working out a theology. She told me this morning that she didn't think Adam and Eve could have been the first people because God had to be first. She said this with a delightful expression on her face and then laughed uproariously at the thought that things could be any different. It's been fun to watch her begin to work it all out along with the rest of us.

This year's manger scene with its ever-changing cast of characters hits me with a message of God's immediate presence in our lives. God's coming in Jesus wasn't simply a long-ago event. Rather it is but one expression of a daily reality - that God truly is with us - Pollies, pets, and princesses - all of us. What a playful reminder!