DECORATING WITH CHILDREN

Hurray for December!

I was in a funk about decorating this year. It didn't seem worth hauling out 50 or so nativities and other Christmas things if no grandchildren were going to be around to enjoy them. I had even bought new Fisher-Price sets to expand the one the kids play with the most before I realized that no one is around to drop in during December to play with them!

So I decided to make my own fun and invited Audrey and Holly to come and help me set up the Nativity sets. And we had a ball. Robert and I got all of the books and other displays out of the


bookcases before the girls arrived and Robert brought up most of the boxes I thought we'd need. When Audrey and Holly ran through the door and saw the big empty cabinet with its doors looming open, they both took a breath and said, "Oh boy, this is going to be a lot of work!"


I showed them how to build up varied heights on the shelves with blocks and how to pick a good color drape to show off the pieces. We looked through my photo album of all 120 sets and I let them have quite a bit of (guided) leeway in picking what they wanted - and did not - want to display.


The first shelves we did were the two filled with the Santas from around the world. We read where each was from and the story that goes along with it. They were fascinated by the different costumes and customs, especially by the Japanese figure, which has two faces, and the two women, Italy's la Befana, and Russia'a Babushka, who missed their chance to see the Christ child and then spend the rest of their lives seeking Him. Audrey wanted to know exactly where each country was, so we set each figure out as if they were on a great big map of the world before they split them up into the two shelves.

They were so eager to open each new box and unwrap each new piece that Robert, sitting in his den, said it was like listening to people watching fireworks -- all the oohs and aahs. Occasionally, in their enthusiasm, I had to remind them that these were breakable, but for the most part they were great and we really had a fun time.

After about three hours, we were almost finished and the girls were about at their limit, so I gave them the job I had saved for last - the Fisher-Price sets. This was just what they needed to rejuvenate them! So many people and animals and tents! Plus the musical angel. They set it all up according to the box pictures and then immediately began to change it all as they made up their stories and played. The stories began right from the scriptures and deteriorated from there. As I put the finishing touches on the displays, I overheard bits and pieces. Holly is definitely picking up her Dad's vocabulary, because one line shouted over and over was, "Baby Jesus is freaking cold! He's freaking cold!" I guess they got over the cold because the girls paired up all the figures: wiseman & camel, Mary & Joseph, sheep & sheep, etc, and they all danced to the angel's music. Audrey and Holly took turns dipping each other. It's a good thing that all of the work was over and all breakables were under glass!

Having the girls here made the whole day fun and now my living room is festive and cheery and my funk is gone. We'll have to make this a yearly Christmas tradition!

PS -The unsung hero of the day, as usual, is Robert, who had to bring in the empty boxes for the bookcase stuff, haul those away, bring up all of the nativity boxes, and more nativity boxes, and more, and search for some more that we wanted, and at the end af the day, take them all away - all while suffering from a really bad chest cold. Thank you.