Manger Scenes

How could I have forgotten?! 

Every year in December when we pull our creche out for the season, there is a fight over who gets to set the pieces in place, even though I also remind the kids every year that Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and their entourage are not fixed and they may feel free to change up the manger scene any time they’d like.

And they do.  Many, many, many… many times.

This year I decided to take pictures of some of our scene changes, although about halfway through December things got busy and I kind of forgot about it.  And now here it is, well after Christmas, New Year’s and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but I have remembered! 

We often have your traditional set up:

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But sometimes the wise men decide to drive their cars instead of their camels:

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I think Mary may be in labor in this one, and the cow has fainted…

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This one makes the twin shepherds look kind of creepy and vulture-like,  stalking the manger scene from above with malicious glints to their eyes:

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I believe the story here is that the stable had some visitors from New York City the night before who brought some bedbugs, so they had to move the blessed event to the marble foyer, which everyone was totally fine with, except that Mary realized she left Jesus’s pacifier back in the stable so she sent the young shepherd boy back to get it. 

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Shepherd One:  Dude, I thought you said they’d be here.

Shepherd Two:  They were supposed to be!  That’s what the angels said!  I’m telling you! “Born this day in the City of David…in swaddling clothes lying in a manger!” 

Cow:  Mooooooooo.

Shepherd One:  Well.  They’re not here.  Maybe they said “in puddling snows sighing at a stranger?”

Shepherd Two:  Dude, that doesn’t even make sense. 

Mary:  Shhh!  Joseph!  Stop laughing!  I totally wish you could see their faces!  I wish we had this on video!

 

And finally, the evil GuineaPigazilla attacks!

But don’t worry, he was not evil, just curious, he had heard the angels singing and decided to check out what all the fuss was about, and he’d been up late with his sick grandmotherzilla the night before so his eyes were just a bit red and irritated, but everyone totally saw the love in his heart and welcomed him, and that’s right about the time the drummer boy started drumming his song and it totally took the pressure and attention off of GuineaPigazilla who slowly and solemnly left the manger to return to his grandmotherzilla who had miraculously recovered!  Christmas miracles all around!

 

The previous manger scenes were all set up by my children who were unaware that I was taking pictures…except for the GuineaPigazilla one, that was my idea, and Herbie was really ticked off about it.  He freaked out about two seconds after I took the picture, I don’t think he liked all of us standing around and squealing “Awww!  Look how cute he is!” while he had nowhere good to hide. 

The photos and their captions were meant to entertain, not offend.