Nativity House in Height of Joy!

Christmas Eve is really big for us. Today marks our 4th (at least, didn't count the first couple of years!) annual Pilgrimage to the Grotto at Bethlehem. Okay, no not the real Bethlehem, but in true St. Francis style, we will make a pilgrimage on a path lit by candles to an outdoor creche. This is the first year at our new house. I am excited because there is an old foundation in the backyard, probably a former chicken coop, as it is very small. This will be the site of our pilgrimage this year, and it will be more like a grotto than ever because of the stones from the old foundation!

Our tradition was deliberately stolen from Tasha Tudor's book, A Time to Keep. While it's still light, I sneak out when the kids are occupied and set up the creche. Even the figures are unique--my mom sewed them when I was a kid. They are made of cloth and are extremely cute. We have Mary, Joseph and the Baby with donkey, of course. Also a couple of shepherds with requisite sheep, the wise men and camel, and an angel. We also have a "star"--a pink piece of pipe cleaner that E-R squashed to be a star maybe 2 or 3 years ago. The straw came from our strawberry patch at our old house and fills the manger--which is just an old square basket that just happened to be the right size for the baby. In prior years, at our old house, it hung from a small tree right above the site where we put the creche at the base of an enormous white pine. This year, the creche will be in the old chicken coop and I hope there is some kind of branch from which we can hang the star.

Besides the pilgrimage, we will also have a feast in the house. This year we will have chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, Mexican cakes, homemade eggnog, pepparkakor, and salate de nochebuena. There's more, but I can't remember off hand. Merry Christmas!!!