Thursday, December 22, 2011

A Nativity Fusion


Little Sweet Pea's birthday is right before Christmas so what nicer gift could she receive than a Little Tikes Nativity Set from her Aunt Rose and Uncle John?  We all thought it would be a wonderful way for her to envision the joys of the Christmas story.  It worked.....sort of.


She was delighted with the gift and immediately began to play with it as we talked about the different parts/people in the set and what part they played in the Christmas story.


Our first inkling that THIS Nativity scene would be her own special version came when we realized that Baby Jesus was crammed into the cow's stall and the sheep were given the place of honor in the main part of the stable.


When we had pulled Baby Jesus out of the box, her mommy had asked her, "Do you know who this is?"

"Mary," she promptly replied.  Well....there WAS a connection there, at least.


The actual Mary was soon relegated to the top of the stable next to the feeding trough, joining one of the angels.


She was soon joined by a shepherd and at several points by some wise men, although they were usually holding court over in the fields with some of the sheep.  Hmm, were we seeing a mash-up of "Away in a Manger" and "Up On a Rooftop?"


The Wise Men were demoted from riding camels to tending the donkey cart while their regal tent was taken over by Mika's stuffed kitten.


At one point, the kitten fell asleep, a Wise Man was knocked over by a sheep trying to play King of the Hill, and an angel was wandering around in the barnyard wondering where the shepherds had run off to because she had a Heavenly message to deliver.

Through it all, Mary kept her composure although from a more elevated angle than during the original event and Mika had a wonderful evening immersed in the magic of a Christmas birth that changed the world.  She may be putting her own unique spin on things now but as she continues to grow and be nurtured in the Christian faith, she'll continue to find this to be a much-beloved toy set.  Thanks, Aunt Rose and Uncle John!

1 comment:

Karyn said...

I've never heard of this toy - it's GREAT! I'll have to keep my eye out for it for my toy box next Christmas.