My wife began collecting nativity scenes and sets several years ago and ever since our home has become a veritable museum of creches during the holidays. Each year it becomes a quest of mine to find new and unusual sets to add to her collection. The Holy Family, the shepherds, the Magi, the animals, the angels - all of them coming together to create their own individual and magical tableau. The annual reappearance of the Nativity image and its accompanying wonder and joy help to keep Christmas a very real and meaningful part of our lives. And what a comfort it is to know that God would send his only Son as an innocent babe to live among us and to experience all of life's highs and lows just as we would. It's only in this way that we can truly appreciate His understanding of the human condition because He is part of it. And when we see those tiny hands and arms reaching out of the manger, it's simply one more unexpected example of God's amazing love for us, because Mary's baby didn't come to Earth to be cradled in our arms; instead He came to hold each of us.
I thought Anne Rice (yes, that Anne Rice, fellow vampire fans) captured the meaning of the creche in today's world for all people, religious or not, spiritual or otherwise, in this Christmas Eve blog courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. Enjoy.
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/24/anne-rice-on-the-true-meaning-of-christmas/
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