I don’t have an answer to that question but thought I’d share images and stories from our own small nativity collection.
Our first nativity set was given by my dear former neighbor and still great friend, Barbara, who was into ceramics at the time. When we were expecting our oldest daughter, Barbara gave us a complete ceramic nativity set, unpainted. She said now that we were going to be parents, we needed a nativity set. Yes! It became one of our daughters’ favorite Advent activities, getting out the figurines on each new day of Advent, and yes, sometimes fighting over who got the half naked shepherd boy. We waited to put Baby Jesus in the manger until Christmas morning, and the wise men & their camels & gifts arrived sometime between Dec. 26 and Jan. 6. So I painted this set while I was “great with child and pondering these things in my heart.”
My second most favorite set consists of tiny clay figurines purchased during the Christmas markets in December in Barcelona (Spain, where I spent my junior year of college, detailed in this book). I purchased the tiniest version I could find (thinking of how I would pack them for home) and gave the set to my parents who kept it for about 30 years, and they passed it back to me when they moved to a retirement home.
Our third complete nativity is a plastic one I bought so the kids would have a set they could play with to their hearts content (every home needs one that is playable). I first gave it to them when my husband and I were going to one of several Christmas parties one year and we had hired a babysitter (rare event) and the kids got to open it and play with it while we were gone. Somehow one of the wise guy’s presents did indeed became detached from his arms–which was OK, it was for the kids to have and play with! The box of gold is here balanced delicately in his hands (reminder to hang onto our gold lightly??)
My heart still squeezes with tenderness to tell the story of this tiny nativity purchased as an ornament by my youngest daughter when she spent a week at the wonderful Presbyterian Montreat Music & Worship conference, from the Ten Thousand Village store there. It was pricey, probably around $8.95, which is all she had to spend on gifts that week. She bought it and gave it to me, foregoing any gifts for herself. You can bet who will get that ornament back when I move to a retirement home!
Some nativities are so cheap and plastic that you just gotta love ’em. I still have the tiny box this one came in. I think one of the kids got it from a blessed Sunday school teacher. Do you have one like this in your past?
Finally, and this bears a P-rating alert (poopy), my dad’s favorite figurine from the Barcelona purchase described above.
From About.com on Spain Travel we learn this: “Caganer is a little porcelain gnome-like figure with his trousers down, defecating somewhere in the nativity scene. Children enjoy looking for the little guy, who is often hidden among the more traditional items. Surprisingly not invented by the post-South Park generation – Caganer has been offering his unique presents to the nativity scene since at least the middle of the 18th or 19th century, depending on who you believe, although in recent years the Catalan government has banned him from official displays.” See another picture of the Caganer.
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While much mystery still surrounds what the wise people from the east actually looked like, and most scenes and artwork include a multicultural mix, the fact that travelers came from afar to see the young child is still pretty amazing over 2000 years later.
A blessed Epiphany: may we still seek him.
Our lay leader on Sunday, Nancy Hopkins-Garriss, reminded us that while the hubbub of Christmas was over for the rest of the world, as Christians, after Christmas, we could celebrate in a more low key fashion and enjoy the 12 days of Christmas stretching to Epiphany (January 6). Take walks. Sit by the tree. Not worry about company coming. Not worry about who we had to buy for yet. No more cookies to bake, just cookies to share and get rid of. This week has been like that for me.
Funny thing at my house: I’m happy and relieved to go back to “work” at the office (which I did today) because I can get away from fixing meals (or at least putting food out) three times a day.
I just learned of an old Irish tradition called “Women’s Christmas” which occurred on Epiphany—women were given a break from their normal domestic chores and especially the work of Christmas, and encouraged to go off and celebrate together. That sounds like a great tradition to revive. Jan. L Richardson, an artist and inspirational writer/speaker, also wrote about this tradition last year in her blog.
Our church has long had another tradition of having Epiphany dinners in homes—with each visitor bringing a dish. People who want to participate either sign up to be hosts or guests, and someone fixes up the guest list and lets the hosts know who will be coming to their house. The host then contacts each guest to find out what dish they want to bring. It tends to be a favorite tradition because the work is nil: just brushing crumbs off the Christmas table cloth.
The year I lived in Spain, I was delighted to learn about celebrating “Three Kings Day” on January 6. Children left cognac and good Spanish bread for the Kings who left gifts in their shoes by the fireplace. Beats milk and cookies for tired Santas. But I don’t recommend gift giving for Epiphany AND Christmas day … nor could I ever gather energy or funds to give little gifts as some do for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Enough already.
Back to more chilling. I’m sure God didn’t mean for the birth of the Christ child to mean more domestic work for us all. Allowing space to breath, exercise, sleep in, and stay up late helps restore inner harmony after the rush of December. Which means eating just a simple bowl of cereal, blueberries and English walnuts for breakfast. Yum.
(I’m also indebted to Malinda Elizabeth Berry, this week’s writer in Rejoice! devotional, writing about “Women’s Christmas.”)
Most of us love the fresh feel of a new year, the smell of a new book, the welcome of a new notebook that is unspoiled with bad handwriting.
I have thought about starting a blog for over a year and many times I’ve thought, I really don’t need another thing to write, another “have to” in the back of my mind, another thing to keep my cramped arm typing on the computer.
And yet there have been many times I’ve thought, ah, now if I had a blog, I would write about that. And see if anyone cared. And writer/authors these days are supposed to have something called an “author platform,” a place to connect with audiences and to keep them from their latest book or other project. So here goes.
I aim to post once or twice a week, and share things from my kitchen (or from others) about that often, learning as I go. Like I’ve got some tweaks to make to these pages but have patience.
For now, here is a recipe marrying some down home Virginia cooking with fine cuisine–a harmony of sorts. At first glance, you might think: sausage gravy? On pancakes? How starchy and calorie and fat laden is that? I never tasted sausage gravy until my husband joined the Lions and I watched Lion John Knepper in Broadway make this in endless supply for the Lions annual pancake days. I like to think of this as a fine French sauce on thickish crepes! Here is a modification of his recipe, just enough for the two of us.
Sausage Gravy
1/3 lb. Gunnoes whole hog sausage, mild (or the highest quality favorite sausage you can buy)
1 Tb. shortening – Crisco as needed, or fat remaining from frying sausage
1/3 c. regular flour
1-1/2 c. water
1/4. tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Saute sausage in fry pan, chopping in to medium fine crumbs as it cooks. Remove cooked sausage. Brown 2 Tb. of the flour in the remaining grease, or if there isn’t much grease left in pan use 1 Tb. of Crisco. While the flour is browning, make a white sauce by putting the remaining flour into a plastic shaker thing (like an old Cool Whip container), and adding the water (cold). Shake til the flour is dissolved and smooth. When the flour in the pan is brown and hot, add the white sauce mixture to the pan. Stir and press out lumps if they occur. Add salt and pepper. Keep stirring until it bubbles up and thickens. If you want a thin gravy, add more water or even milk if you want. Cook for at least several minutes to let flavor seep through. You can make your pancakes while that simmers. Serve hot on top of fresh pancakes, crepes, biscuits, toast–whatever you want. Let me know what you think!
