my favorite (and my best) christmas decoration

This is my nativity set.

When I was born, in December of 1970, my parents had just moved into a brand new tiny little house in San Diego, California.  My mother, with no money and no car, had not a single Christmas decoration for my brother (a two-year-old) to enjoy, and no way to obtain some... 

Well, not long before Christmas, her mother came to visit, and not finding this state of affairs acceptable in the least, she immediately hopped on a bus and went out to purchase the least expensive ones she could find.  This little Mexican nativity scene was one of the sweet things she brought home that day, and it's been with us ever since. 

 
  I never really thought much about it as I was growing up, as kids are thinking of many other things around the holidays, but as an adult I fell absolutely in love with it's simple, folky sweetness.
 

 
 It makes me happy just to think about it.   I hope my girls will feel the same about it when they are older;  maybe they will, maybe not.  They may pick something unexpected to remember and treasure.  Whatever it is, I just hope it brings them many happy thoughts of Christmases past to carry with them along their journeys.

 
What are your favorite Christmas or holiday decorations?  Are they from your childhood, or something made of construction paper and glitter and white glue that your children brought home from preschool?  Something a dear friend made you?  Please share, if you like, by commenting or leaving a link to your own blog.  I'd love to see or hear about them, and I know everyone else would too. 

***

It's really the feelings that matter, isn't it?  Not the stuff at all.  The things just take you there, in your heart and in your head.

Cheers, sweet friends!

xoxox.
 

Comments

[Trish]

always loved my mom's Hummel Nativity set-although it was precious, she would let us handle it as long as we were careful. she even saved the dixie cup ice cream lid I'd colored pink so baby Jesus would have a carpet! every year that came out too :-)
this is our first Christmas w/o her, but looking at it reminds me of how wonderful she made our Christmases.

[Jade]

ack! the quilt. why did i sell that again? it looks LOVELY in your living room. :)

[Kira]

My mom had this carousel from the 60s that she still has today. It has hanging bells, angels and tiny candles of which the heat was intended to move the carousel (but they were burnt out far before my time & were never replaced). It was made out of wood, was very delicate and when it turned, the bells jingled by a little apparatus that stuck out and touched them. Loving to put things together at a very young age, I volunteered to assemble it every Christmas, always giving me the warm fuzzies. ♥

[mo @ get stuff done]

I love making christmas decorations. and every year I either make , or buy something special for my mum's christmas tree. My folks have a massive tree, and every year, getting out the decorations from the boxes is a delight. Some of the decorations were from before I was born, some belonged to my Grandparents, and some I made when I was 11. Some are really crap! but it is still very very christmassy. I love decorating the tree every year

[emily]

My Mom had a four foot Victorian Christmas tree that sat on the table in our dining room every year. I loved that tree. Also, her mother made us a Nativity set, ivory ceramic with gold painted edges, that I loved. I would lay on the carpet next to the hearth where the nativity was laid out and watch the golden edges glint in the firelight. My mom still has it. Just knowing that Nativity is in her living room, 700 miles away marks Christmas in a very special way for me each year.
*******
I am addicted to German glass glitter ornaments, and have generously acquired SEVERAL pieces so that my girls can divide them between their houses when they are grown. Everytime I bring home a new piece, I tell my husband, it's for the children. :)

[annamaria potamiti]

I love this nativity set, and the story makes it all the more special- The whole room looks totally adorable !
My own favs are the Christmas decorations my children have made over the years...-
Have a lovely day,
Annamaria :)

[gwen]

when my daughter was born, we started out with one baby's first christmas and a bunch of dollar store glass balls. I decided we would each get one ornament each year, now we have enough that the balls are gone...i love taking them out and remembering where they came from...

[Scott]

What a wonderful post, Amy. I didn't know that story. I love those little figures even more now.

[Jayne Barbour]

Your home looks so very festive and warm and cozy and colorful. I'm always so inspired by your creativity and the way you put things together. SO fun!
I have three little ones and my mom passed along all of the "soft" ornaments from when I was young to put on our tree. It was such fun to pull each one out of the box and remember them! Wonderful felt bears that have so much detail still-even though they are starting to fall apart after 35 years! The little angels that all seem to have some crazy eye-shadow on and are semi-creepy. Gosh, I just love those! The stuffed Santa and Mrs. Clause that are priceless-I can remember playing with them as "toys" at Christmas and all of the little wooden ornaments like soldiers, ice-skaters and angels. They just don't make em like they used to! Or maybe it just feels that way because these are so very special to me.
Anyhow, going simpler makes the holidays even more special. Why does it take getting older to learn and appreciate this?
Thanks for your wonderful blog, I look forward to it each day!

[michelle]

I adore your nativity scene and even more so with the story...
and love your holiday wreaths they look so sweet and yet so much fun and really inexpensive...
That is what christmas is all about...
The making and giving of handmade treasures to people we love...
I am sure your little sweetiest will love the nativity as much as you...

[BloesemKids]

it's truly beautiful...for the first time in my life I'm looking for a nativity set this year myself...to explain a bit more about hristmas to my sons and I wish i had one like yours it would have been perfect, thank you for showing and telling us the touching story! irene xx

[kate-brown@netspace.net.au]

I too have a little mexican nativity scene... sadly not as complete as yours, and much tinier. It is one of two that my grandmother bought in Mexico in the early '80's. I would love to find something similar now, and scour the web every Christmas for... Yours is lovely - thanks for reminding me of the origins of mine :)

[Bill @ Childrens Nativity Set]

It's easy to see why you have such great fondness for your nativity - it is really wonderful! Is it a handcrafted one of a kind set?

Sadly I don't have any Christmas ornaments from my childhood. I do have the great memories, though.