What a sweet tradition, and a beautiful story.
Sears used to epitomize quality.
Our mom designed Nativity scenes for each of our families...out of spools of thread. She put so much love into them.
Sears doesn't realize they're stripping the genuine love right out of Christmas. They might as well call it Christless.
My wife leaves the nativity scenes out all year.
Yes, I said plural.
We have one that is an antique from her grandmother.
We have one we bought at a department store.
Another I bought at an auction.
Two we got at a Dollar store...one is cermaic and is small enough to fit in a large human hand...the other is crystal and has a mirrored base.
Last year, I bought nativity ornaments for everyone who came over to the house on Christmas (we invite everyone who has no place to go, similar to our Thanksgiving Day feast), and we kept one of them.
I started doing stained glass this year and our front door now has a Bethlehem scene that is permanent. I added Calvary and hope to add the Empty Tomb and the Return in the Clouds to it.