Our nativity set arrived in our home when our son was about three. It is a well loved set, and it has survived year upon year of our family’s Christmases.
That first Christmas, our son latched onto Baby Jesus and dragged him all over the house. The second Christmas, Baby Jesus lost a leg. I glued it on. It came off again. I reglued it a few times. Then he lost the second leg–I believe another year–and I couldn’t find it to glue it on. His little swaddling cloth lasted longer, but one year when we took out the nativity set, we noticed it was missing. Another year, Baby Jesus got coloured with red marker.
I just kept rescuing him.
Our now teenaged son has suggested we replace our poor, traumatized Baby Jesus, but I refuse to. He’s seen things, but he’s ours. And he’s too full of our family’s memories for him to be replaceable.
Do you have any Christmas decorations like this–the ones that have survived a whole lot? Somehow they become the most precious, because while on social media we might show the world our families at their best, real life is a lot messier. Those chipped, scratched, precious ornaments are a testament to that.
Someone suggested I reswaddle him, and I did with a paper napkin. He’ll make it another decade or so. I’ll make sure of it!
I hope you are enjoying your Christmas season! And just as a reminder, if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, the next instalment will hit inboxes January 4.
Happy reading!
❤
Patricia Johns 
Your comments make me feel warm and fuzzy. Seriously!