First things first

Today is the start of Advent. As a little girl, I loved to visit my Mammie's home and play, yes, play, with her Nativity. There was a bobble head cow that I loved to bounce. Mammie's figurines would arrive bit by bit each week. My mother had a large nativity that was placed all at once, and we were never scolded for wanting to touch the beautiful figurines that represented the birth of our Lord. If we were, I do not recall.
I will have to look in my photo boxes to locate my photos of my ever growing "creche". It is the first Christmas decoration that goes up, and the last to come down. I am like my mother, it all comes out at once.
The first year I was married, I made one from paper. Eventually, I received a Mary, Joseph, and of course The Babe. The years that followed, when my boys were small, I did not have the many members you can see in last year's set up in my header photo. Instead, we had trolls, Barney, army guys, and Chewbacca. I did not care as to me the gift was for all, and this inclusion I hopes would help my boys see they were part of the whole thing.
Today, I took out my creche. Okay, for the record, I did not take it from the closet, DJ did. He had to uncover the box and remove it from the place where I fear will collapse upon me if I open the door. He placed the box on the kitchen table for easy access for his poor old mother. I removed the stable, and placed the figurines around the empty manger. I hung the lights that represent stars, and Darrell crawled under the desk to plug them in. They will stay lit until the day I take the ensemble down. Day or night, Christ's light shines in my home for the next month. I love this tradition.

Oh, and Ruth has already rearranged the people, and asked for their stories and names. She is allowed this, as her brothers were. There are enough folks now to keep her happy. :) The grand-girls will come and play as well. If you look closely, you will see several unusual folks or critters. These are the ones I cannot forget. The Joseph who stands as shepherd, from the years when Darrell tried to meet my need, but missed the mark. The wise man and cow that my boys painted at a church function for a gift for me. Oh, and a little bobble head cat, which helps me recall the days of playing beneath my Mammie's Christmas tree, waiting with delight for the day that more of the people would arrive from around her house. But, the idea is there.

First things first: CHRIST is what makes Christmas.