Hello my name is Amanda and I am a procratsanator. It is February and I am just now putting away my Christmas decorations. The thing with being a procrastanator is that when I especailly dislike a job, such as undercorating, I can put it off indefinietly. Well, until David absolutely insists they we regain out dining room/play room anyway. The thing is, I think I could live in a Christmas house and just decorate every room with Christmas things all year round. I guess I would probably get tired of it eventually but it would certainly take me a while (even later that February - maybe even years).
As I've said before I am a bona fide Christmas nut. I just love the season and the reason we celebrate it. Among the many things I like about the Christmas season - Starbucks Peppermint Mochas, Christmas trees, wreaths, cards, gingerbread men, carolers, snowmen - top on my list has to be the nativity scene. Everytime I see it my pace slows for a moment and I revel in the thought that the greatest gift any of us could ever receive came wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It helps keep everythig in perspective.
I strongly dislike having to put away the nativites. I've collected quite a few through the years, some are just one piece all made together and others have all the indiviual pieces for me to set the scene up myself. Before they get stored away for another year I thought I'd share some pics of some of my favorites.
This is really high up on my list of my favorite nativities. It was a wedding present. We had an August wedding and henchforth did not receive many Christmas items at our showers so I knew the moment I opened this it would always be special to me. It was from a lady named Evelyn who attended FBC Early with David and I. She made ceramics and I had seen her and some of her peices at various craft fairs around Brownwood but I never dreamed she'd give us a nativity as a wedding present. She passed away a few years ago but I will always remember her each Christmas when I set up this nativity in our bedroom.
This is a nice wooden ornament that hangs on our big tree.
This ornament is just plastic but looks very crystal-like. It still reflects the lights really well even though is it just plastic.
If I had the ability to take a panoramic shot this would have just been one picture but since I don't you'll just have to link them together in your mind. This little opening between our living room and kitchen makes a great display shelf for some of my small nativities. The first one on the left is just a pretty one I grabbed at an after Christmas sale. The second one is a box with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus on the lid. It was a gift to the boys from my parents last Christmas. The third one, a faux snow globe, actually folds flat and came in a Christmas card from my parents. The fourth one I picked up at an estate sale. The fifth one is plastic and very old. It belonged to my Mammaw (my mom's mom) and is the only nativity I ever remember her having.
The sixth one is just a one piece painted polyresin with no particluar sentimental value but I like it nonetheless. The seventh one is a set of three ornaments that I found in a shop while Christmas shopping with my mom. I saw it before Christmas and then went back to the after-Chrismtas sale and got it. There's some pretty intricate pictures carved into the pieces. The eighth one is wooden and I think I picked it up at a mall in the metroplex while Christmas shopping one year back when it was still just David and I. The last one is white ceramic with gold accents. Once again no particular sentimental value, I just liked it.
I love this next nativity which is crafted all around the letters "B-E-L-I-E-V-E." So often when the word "believe" is used around Christmas time it is referring to a guy in a red suit in whom I no longer believe. I do however believe with all my heart in a tiny baby born of a virgin who came to save the world.
This is our Christmas countdown calendar - and also a nativity. Each day in December we open one of the little doors around the picture and take out the magnet inside. As we add pieces to the metal background all month, we assemble a terrific little nativity scene. The boys love to play with it. If fact, that was the first thing we did Christmas morning. We got down the calendar and I let the boys play with all the magnets in the scene.
These last two I like because they are kid friendly. I bought this first one years ago before I had kids at a Hobby Lobby after Christmas sale thinking it would be nice to have something like this in case kids ever came over during the holidays. Little did I know at the time that my own sons would one day enjoy playing with it.
As I've said before I am a bona fide Christmas nut. I just love the season and the reason we celebrate it. Among the many things I like about the Christmas season - Starbucks Peppermint Mochas, Christmas trees, wreaths, cards, gingerbread men, carolers, snowmen - top on my list has to be the nativity scene. Everytime I see it my pace slows for a moment and I revel in the thought that the greatest gift any of us could ever receive came wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It helps keep everythig in perspective.
I strongly dislike having to put away the nativites. I've collected quite a few through the years, some are just one piece all made together and others have all the indiviual pieces for me to set the scene up myself. Before they get stored away for another year I thought I'd share some pics of some of my favorites.
This is really high up on my list of my favorite nativities. It was a wedding present. We had an August wedding and henchforth did not receive many Christmas items at our showers so I knew the moment I opened this it would always be special to me. It was from a lady named Evelyn who attended FBC Early with David and I. She made ceramics and I had seen her and some of her peices at various craft fairs around Brownwood but I never dreamed she'd give us a nativity as a wedding present. She passed away a few years ago but I will always remember her each Christmas when I set up this nativity in our bedroom.
This is a nice wooden ornament that hangs on our big tree.
This ornament is just plastic but looks very crystal-like. It still reflects the lights really well even though is it just plastic. 
If I had the ability to take a panoramic shot this would have just been one picture but since I don't you'll just have to link them together in your mind. This little opening between our living room and kitchen makes a great display shelf for some of my small nativities. The first one on the left is just a pretty one I grabbed at an after Christmas sale. The second one is a box with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus on the lid. It was a gift to the boys from my parents last Christmas. The third one, a faux snow globe, actually folds flat and came in a Christmas card from my parents. The fourth one I picked up at an estate sale. The fifth one is plastic and very old. It belonged to my Mammaw (my mom's mom) and is the only nativity I ever remember her having.The sixth one is just a one piece painted polyresin with no particluar sentimental value but I like it nonetheless. The seventh one is a set of three ornaments that I found in a shop while Christmas shopping with my mom. I saw it before Christmas and then went back to the after-Chrismtas sale and got it. There's some pretty intricate pictures carved into the pieces. The eighth one is wooden and I think I picked it up at a mall in the metroplex while Christmas shopping one year back when it was still just David and I. The last one is white ceramic with gold accents. Once again no particular sentimental value, I just liked it.
I love this next nativity which is crafted all around the letters "B-E-L-I-E-V-E." So often when the word "believe" is used around Christmas time it is referring to a guy in a red suit in whom I no longer believe. I do however believe with all my heart in a tiny baby born of a virgin who came to save the world.This is our Christmas countdown calendar - and also a nativity. Each day in December we open one of the little doors around the picture and take out the magnet inside. As we add pieces to the metal background all month, we assemble a terrific little nativity scene. The boys love to play with it. If fact, that was the first thing we did Christmas morning. We got down the calendar and I let the boys play with all the magnets in the scene.These last two I like because they are kid friendly. I bought this first one years ago before I had kids at a Hobby Lobby after Christmas sale thinking it would be nice to have something like this in case kids ever came over during the holidays. Little did I know at the time that my own sons would one day enjoy playing with it.
Nathan and Benjamin's favorite nativity is the VeggieTale nativity. I like it too and enjoy watching them play with it. When you push the star at the top of the stable it sings the first little bit of "O Little Town Of Bethlehem."
Well, I hope you've all had a wonderful first month of 2008 and a happy Groundhog Day today. Just think - only ten months and we get to put up our Christmas decorations again!!
1 comment:
You crack me up! I love Christmas too and am always sad when I undecorate. I wish I had more nativities...you could open up a store with all of yours!! Cool collection!
Amanda B.
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