How We Celebrated Christmas/Epiphany

As a follow-up to my blog yesterday, let me tell you about the impact Michelle’s scolding had on me!

As Lauren, and then Eric, came along, we kept this old family tradition on Christmas Eve of acting out the nativity. But now I was determined that my children would know the REAL story. So I made a pledge to read the Christmas story from the Bible from now on. My later two children’s memories are always of hearing the story read from the Bible, never the free form version.

We also decided to teach them more biblically by separating the arrival of the shepherds from the Wise Men. And to build a little excitement and sense of anticipation. When Advent begins, we set up the nativity set. Mary and Joseph – and Mary’s donkey – are placed on the other side of the room. Each day, as Christmas approaches, one of the children would get to move Mary and Joseph – and Mary’s donkey, let us not forget Mary’s donkey – closer to the manger. Meanwhile, the Wise Men – and their camels, let us not forget their camels – are placed in another room. On Christmas Eve, as mentioned yesterday, we read the Christmas story from Luke and the children placed Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the shepherds, sheep, and cows in the manger. What was unusual – and perhaps unique to being a preacher’s kid – my children actually looked forward to Epiphany. As Epiphany approached, we moved the Wise Men and their camels closer and closer to the manger. Then, on January 6th – Epiphany, which celebrates the unveiling of the Christ to the Gentiles – we would remove the shepherds from the manger and place the Wise Men. Then we would read the Christmas story from Matthew. To this day, my kids – now grown – look forward to Epiphany more than most. Perhaps it didn’t hurt that we gave them another “Christmas gift” that day as well!