Advent Sunday

We don't normally pay this much attention to Advent, but this year we are giving the Christian holiday more emphasis because it is our Yule Play.

I grew up the child of lapsed Presbyterians, and we never went to church or anything. But I do remember my childhood Nativity scene, which was a small porcelain set with a golden halo around baby Jesus's head. I wasn't supposed to touch it, but I would sneak over and "play" with it, rearranging the figures and pretending Mary was singing to the baby. Bringing the Playmobil nativity set into our church classes has rekindled those memories for me, as I watch the children play with it.

Of course, mine was a precious item that I wasn't supposed to be touching, so I treated it with great reverence and care. This set is much more accessible to the kids, and they are treating it with, shall we say, less reverence.