You may have noticed that I’ve been goofing off too much lately to keep up with the posting of my weekly “blobs”. I’m chalking it up to my advancing senility, too much partying, and to my overall shiftlessness.
But just in time for the holidays, daughter Susy wrote something that reminded me of how much I like words.
Written or spoken, some are treasures, especially when they can be shared.
For the past weeks, Susy had been getting the household “ready for Christmas“. She strung lights all over the farm, made a home for a huge inflatable jolly snowman, decorated every inch she could with candy canes, greenery, ornaments, wreaths, wouldn’t let anyone leave the property without gifting them with an assortment of various toys, games, homemade cookies, party mix, or popcorn, and planned and organized family parties to celebrate our non-pandemic holiday.
But what had inspired Susy into such hyperactivity had occurred a few weeks earlier. It occurred to me that before she decides it’s time to put everything away till next year, we better document the whole story. The following, interspersed with some of the fruits of her labors, is Susy’s narrative of it.
“My Little Christmas Story”
by Susy Warden
When I was a little girl I truly loved the magic of the Christmas Season. I remember admiring our little artificial tree sparkling with tinsel and homemade ornaments. The growing pile of gifts under the tree was exciting too. We had some type of rotating light that made the tree turn red and green. I was in awe of that. I also really loved our sweet, humble nativity scene with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.
Now, fast forward to the present day….my adult daughter Josie and I were on a shopping trip, this past October, at a Walmart store.
I spied a nativity scene in the holiday section. The nativity figures were just a few inches tall. Hmmm, that looked interesting.
I put the box into my cart and proceeded down the aisle. Then I looked at it again and realized that I didn’t need a nativity set. I had not set one up for many years. I returned the box to the shelf.
Back home from our shopping trip, I found myself window shopping various nativity sets on the computer. Of course, I was partial to nativity scenes that included a donkey! I also wanted the shepherd boy and his sheep. And I have to admit, I got a little excited whenever I saw a camel included in the box.
Fast forward, a few weeks later…. Josie and I stopped by a thrift store and I was immediately drawn to the only two nativity sets in the entire store. I thought they were charming. Both sets were quite used and had a few chips but one set came with a little barn. I asked Josie which set I should buy. She looked at me a little funny and said “I think you can do better than this”.
When we arrived back home, empty handed, I realized that I must get a nativity set for our home, this year. I told my husband, Curt, that I really wanted one. For me. To celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. To recreate the magic I felt as a child. To honor brave Mary and Joseph and the humble shepherd boy and his sheep and the three wise men. And to welcome baby Jesus to the world on Christmas Day.
Now, the fun really began. I spent several weeks researching nativity scenes. Large and small. Modern and rustic. The prices ranged from $20.00 to $185.00. I sat Curt down one evening and we reviewed my top five favorite nativity sets on Amazon. Then, we narrowed down the list, until we arrived at our very favorite one. Of course, it ended up the most expensive navitity set in the Amazon cart but we loved it! It also included a donkey and a shepherd boy. Curt said to “Go for it!” I was shocked to be spending so much money on a nativity set but I was excited to imagine it sitting on our dining table.
The brand new nativity set was scheduled to arrive Thanksgiving week. I got a message from Amazon one morning that said the box was on their truck and was scheduled to arrive before 8pm that very evening. I waited and waited but no delivery came to our farm. The next morning, I contacted Amazon and they said “Sorry to report that the store you used has closed their doors and gone out of business. Would you like us to help with your refund?”
What? I could not believe that bad news. I had spent hours shopping for the perfect set. I had already attempted to buy a little one from Walmart, and a really old one from a thrift store and now a brand new one from Amazon. All three duds!
Curt told me to keep on shopping. December and Christmas were right around the corner. Now, I was unsure of where to look next. I cautiously decided to look on Facebook Marketplace. I immediately discovered a sweet nativity set with everything I wanted. It was a set from the 1990s but I liked the simplicity of the barn, the angel attached to the roof, the sweet baby Jesus in the manger, the three wise men, the shepherd boy and of course, the little donkey who carried pregnant Mary on his back. This nativity set on Facebook marketplace was used but it was well cared for. I bought it on the spot. The set even had all three kings and a camel. I paid $100.00 and the seller gave me a tracking number with a date and time for delivery.
I was cleaning our donkey barn a few days later when I got a notification from the seller that there was a problem with the delivery of the nativity set. The box was damaged and Joseph’s left hand had been “amputated”. The seller promised a complete refund or she offered to pay the $20.00 mailing cost. I told her to please send us the nativity set “as is” and that we would enjoy it for years to come. Joseph’s missing hand does not detract from Mary’s gaze on the baby Jesus or the awe the three kings show as they kneel before the manger. It was a struggle to find our imperfect nativity set but I felt the magic of Christmas was within reach.
I set up little lighted trees around the nativity set on the dining room table when it arrived. My Mom and I doctored up Joseph’s missing hand and made it look (almost) as good as new. My whole family was happy with our new Christmas purchase.
A week later, I was cooking dinner in the kitchen and I happened to glance at our dining room table. The sun was setting through our glass doors and it was illuminating the entire nativity scene. In fact, the sun reflecting through the glass doors lit up the entire wall behind the table, all the way up to the ceiling! Wow. It confirmed the magic of the holiday season is truly alive in our little home in Enumclaw, Washington. And that is my Little Christmas Story.
Thank you, Susy! Have a Happy New Year, everyone!