Day Seven of 7-Day Nativity Tradition-BABY JESUS

  by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler, adapted from LDS Living's "Christ-Centered Christmas Celebration" video series

Day 7:  Baby Jesus

                                        
The 7- day Nativity Tradition is based on the book by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler,designed by Ryan Jeppesen. The full, colorful resin Nativity set is available at                    DeseretBook.com

 EBF: There are a lot of traditions we’ve talked about, but we just need to make sure that we don’t miss the baby. That is how Christmas began. It began with God’s greatest gift that came to the world wrapped up in swaddling clothes. And the question is, at this special time of year, what will you do because of that great gift?

Invitation

DB: This is the invitation for day number seven, and it is to give the gift of your heart to Him. Especially after you’ve realized that He gave the gift of His heart to us.

Tradition Idea: Get a card for every member of your family and write down a gift to give to Jesus Christ this year. Each year you can review and ponder the gifts from the past and choose a new one. The Christ child reminds us to offer a gift to the Lord this Christmas season, a gift based on the true “work of Christmas,” one that will allow us to focus on Christ all year long. We love the idea of the “work of Christmas” found in a poem by Howard Thurman—that Christmas actually began when the shepherds went home, when the star was gone, and when the angels went back up into the heavens. That’s when the work of Christmas begins, and it’s going to go forward throughout this whole year.

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DB: This is such a beautiful time of year to remember how good God has been to us and to just try in some small way to return our love to Him because of how much He’s shown toward us. We just want to wish you a merry, merry Christmas and hope that the Spirit of Christ fills your home and heart throughout the rest of the year

 

 

"The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus," by Ogden Nash

Back in 1977, Norman Rockwell's Christmas Book was published.  My children and I love reading the stories and poems in this book.  Over time, I noticed, if doing a search online for "The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus," the poem had been changed by everyone who posted it.  I compared the verses to the original one in Rockwell's book and realized I like the first version much better and the very last couple of phrases were better left the way Nash wrote it.  I cannot find anywhere that states he changed this poem.  Sometimes, getting information online isn't always correct.  It is sad to see an original poem watered down from its original writing.  If I were the poet, I'd be sad.  How much have we lost that has been changed over time?

By Ogden Nash

In Baltimore there lived a boy.
He wasn't anybody's joy.
Although his name was Jabez Dawes,
His character was full of flaws.

In school he never led the classes,
He hid old ladies' reading glasses,
His mouth was open while he chewed,
And elbows to the table glued.
He stole the milk of hungry kittens,
And walked through doors marked NO ADMITTANCE.
He said he acted thus because
There wasn't any Santa Claus.

Another trick that tickled Jabez
Was crying “Boo!”' at little babies.
He brushed his teeth, they said in town,
Sideways instead of up and down.
Yet people pardoned every sin,
And viewed his antics with a grin,
Till they were told by Jabez Dawes,
“There isn't any Santa Claus!”

Deploring how he did behave,
His parents swiftly sought their grave.
They hurried through the portals pearly,
And Jabez left the funeral early.

Like whooping cough, from child to child,
He sped to spread the rumor wild:
“Sure as my name is Jabez Dawes
There isn't any Santa Claus!”
Slunk like a weasel of a marten
Through nursery and kindergarten,
Whispering low to every tot,

“There isn't any, no there's not!'
No twinkling eyes, no cherry nose,
No sleigh, and furthermore, by Jiminy,
Nobody coming down the chimney!”

The children wept all Christmas Eve
And Jabez chortled up his sleeve.
No infant dared hang up his stocking
For fear of Jabez' ribald mocking.

He sprawled on his untidy bed,
Fresh malice dancing in his head,
When presently with scalp-a-tingling,
Jabez heard a distant jingling;
He heard the crunch of sleigh and hoof
Crisply alighting on the roof.
What good to rise and bar the door?
A shower of soot was on the floor.

Jabez beheld, oh, awe of awes,
The fireplace full of Santa Claus!
Then Jabez fell upon his knees
With cries of “Don't,” and “Pretty Please.”
He howled, “I don't know where you read it,
I swear some other fellow said it!”
“Jabez,” replied the angry saint,
“It isn't I, it's you that ain't.”
Although there is a Santa Claus,
There isn't any Jabez Dawes!'

Said Jabez then with impudent vim,
“Oh, yes there is, and I am him!
Your language don't scare me, it doesn’t—“
And suddenly he found he wasn't!
From grinning feet to unkempt locks,
Jabez became a Jack-in-the-box,
An ugly toy in Santa’s sack,
Mounting the flue on Santa’s back.

The neighbors heard his mournful squeal;
They searched for him, but not with zeal.
No trace was found of Jabez Dawes,
Which led to thunderous applause,
And people drank a loving cup
And went and hung their stockings up.

All you who sneer at Santa Claus,
Beware the fate of Jabez Dawes,
The saucy boy who told the saint off;
The child who got him, licked his paint off.

Day Six of 7-Nativity Traditions-WISE MEN

 by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler, adapted from LDS Living's "Christ-Centered Christmas Celebration" video series

Day Seven-Wise Men

EBF: There are so many lessons we love about the wise men. One is that they were privileged to search out and seek for the Savior. But the second lesson is one that we don’t talk about very often, and it is my favorite one. After they had that encounter with Jesus Christ, they were led to journey another way [home]. It changed what they were doing in their life—that encounter with Christ made that big of a difference in their lives.

Invitation

DB: The wise men exemplify the journey each of us take as we seek Jesus. They remind us that as we draw closer to Him, we will be led to continue our journey a different way. So, this is the invitation from the wise men, and it is simply to journey closer to Christ.

Tradition Idea: Keep a reminder of the wise men’s three gifts in your house and then think about what you learn from the wise men and how that might affect your journey as you move forward this year.

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A Wonderful Christmas Story-in the True Spirit of the Santa Tradition

Author Unknown

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit Grandma on the day my brother dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," he jeered. "Even dummies know that!" 

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true. 

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted, "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go." 

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kirby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kirby's. 

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. 

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. 

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. 

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. 

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby." 

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas. 

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. 

Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers. 

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. “All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." 

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. 

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby. 

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. 

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95. 

May you always have LOVE to share, 

HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care... 

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

Day Five of the 7-day Nativity Tradition-SHEPERDS

by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler, adapted from LDS Living's "Christ-Centered Christmas Celebration" video series

Day 5: Shepherds

 DB: [It is believed that] the shepherd fields right outside of Bethlehem are where they raised lambs for sacrifice in the temple, which is so symbolic because Jesus is the Lamb of God and was born to be sacrificed. And something that shepherds would normally do, is they would take the lambs—remember that were first born and male and had no blemish— 

EBF: And they would check them. They would check over all of them. And when a lamb was born that looked like that— 

DB: Right, they would wrap them up in swaddling clothes and they would lay it on the manger floor. So when the angels come and give [the shepherds] that sign to look for Jesus, they knew that they were looking for the Lamb of God. They knew what it meant. Invitation 

EBF: The shepherds symbolize a testimony within, an inner conviction that we have come to know Christ. The shepherds are a reminder for us to come closer to the Lord, now and with haste, and then to share our testimony with others. The invitation then for the shepherds is, of course, to share your testimony of Jesus. 

Tradition Idea: Get a candle and give one to every person in your family. The person who starts gets to light their candle, and then you just light the candle of every person around the room and share one small thing you love about Jesus. 

Day Four of 7-Day Nativity Tradition-ANGELS

 

by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler, adapted from LDS Living's "Christ-Centered Christmas Celebration" video series

Day Four-ANGELS

EBF: I just love the thought of voices I know well telling each other of the Savior’s birth. And as I think about that, I think, “Isn’t that what happens when we sing those songs before institute or when we sing those songs before sacrament meeting? Or even if you go caroling from house to house as neighbors, that we are just telling each other what we know and what we believe and what we love about the birth of Jesus Christ.”

Invitation

DB: The angel embodies the heart that runneth over with good tidings of great joy in this season. The angels are a reminder of anticipation of good things to come and it should fill our hearts with warmth overflowing. So the invitation for the angel is to fill your heart and home with the carols.

Tradition Idea: Either go caroling with your family or turn on Christmas carols in your house and just enjoy all of that beautiful music. But whatever you do, make yourself some hot cocoa to go along with it!

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Day Three-Nativity Tradition-MARY

 

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by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler, adapted from LDS Living's "Christ-Centered Christmas Celebration" video series

Day 3: Mary

EBF: Have you ever wondered what it was that Mary might have pondered? I think to myself that surely she did what all new mothers do . . . and just pulls that baby up into her and looks at every single thing about the miracle of a brand new baby.

DB: Could Mary ever have imagined what her life would be filled with being the mother and disciple of the Son of God? And years later, after all of these things had happened, do you think she looked back on that night in the stable and remembered some of those things that she pondered?

EBF: We love thinking of what Mary might have pondered on that night, that still and sacred moment when she just sat and thought about the miracle of that birth. I think it is so important for each of us to remember to do that in our own lives—to take a moment and just ponder on the night of Jesus’s birth.

Invitation

DB: Mary reminds us that we need to find a moment to ponder the events of that sacred night in Bethlehem. As we do this, we celebrate the miracle of Christ’s birth and the gift heaven gave. So the invitation for Mary is to find some place and some time to ponder the miracle of Jesus’s birth.

Tradition Idea: Decorate heart-shaped sugar cookies and talk about Mary’s heart, or gather a box of things that might have helped Mary remember that holy night. Just take time to calm everything that’s going on around you and remember the night of Christ’s birth.