Gold, Frankincense and Chalk

The sun popped out again today - though the temperature was approaching bitter cold. Nevertheless, we decided to pounce upon the opportunity to put out our Nativity Set out in the front yard once more. Daddy began pulling out the pieces and put them out in front of the garage, while Mommy used a leaf blower to clean up the yard a bit.

Daddy brought out the baby Jesus, and Madison immediately took it upon herself to take care of the child. That cold concrete driveway was no place for an infant, so she began to look around for a suitable resting place for the baby.

Finally finding something, Madison placed Jesus in a stroller, and I can only assume that Mary would be very proud. Mommy and Daddy laughed very hard at this! And while Daddy began to bring out the remaining Nativity set pieces, Madison rolled Jesus around the driveway, basically just showing him around.

Finally, it was time to set up the Nativity pieces in the yard. Daddy put them up, one by one, and we saved Jesus for last. Madison helped out quite a bit, carrying around Balthazar until she found just the right spot for him.

Quite satisfied with our Nativity Feng Shui, Daddy used the opportunity to show Madison each person in the story. Starting out with Joseph, Madison said "Dadda," and then pointed to Mary and said, "Mamma!" She knew the baby, and could even say the word "king," as well as "crown."

Taking it a step further, Daddy showed Madison the objects in the Wise Men's hands. I explained to her that they were gifts to give to the baby Jesus. Madison started to wander off at this point, and I simply thought something else in the driveway had captured her interest. So that's when I decided to hook up the extension cord to the light that illuminates the set at night.

Right about the time I was running the cord underneath the porch, Madison came around to see me again, this time carrying a plastic tub filled with colored chalk. I started to say, "Madison, we can't use the sidewalk chalk right now - it's cold outside, and we don't want to get it everywhere."

But that's not why Madison was bringing out the chalk. Completely surprising me, she walked over to the manger and put the tub of colored chalk at Jesus' feet. You see, she brought it out because it was a gift. She was listening closely when I was explaining earlier that the Wise Men were bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. And Madison wanted to bring one out as well, also adding another pail she thought would be a nice gift too.

We kept the "gifts" there this afternoon, right in front of the manger. No gift is too small that comes from the heart. This afternoon Madison blessed us all with yet another gift: a beautiful Christmas moment that Mommy and Daddy will treasure forever.