Friday, December 18, 2009

Sweet Tradition

For this last Pink Saturday before Christmas, I'd like to share my nativity set. My mother bought this for herself in the late 1950s. I love it because I haven't seen some of the elements in other nativities. It has a great feather tree and the angels are made of a tulle wrapped around wire. The shepherd is attached to his camel with a reign made of hemp, and there is a woman honoring baby Jesus who is not Mary. I've only ever seen shepherds and kings, so I think she's a neat element. The set is in pristine condition except for a small chip in the baby's manger. You will notice that the woman is wearing a pink dress under her blue robes and one of the kings has a light rose gown under a turquoise robe. And of course most of the figurines have rosy pink cheeks!

As children we had a grand time setting up the nativity. My mother always put out a golden sand-colored tablecloth on top of the hope chest in the dining room to represent the desert. We'd set up the barn and animals right after Thanksgiving, hide Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus behind the barn, and set up the Kings and the shepherds far away, maybe on the hutch or the plant stand. Every day the shepherds would be moved closer. Mary and Joseph came out on Christmas Eve, and Jesus joined them Christmas morning.  Then it ws the Kings' turn, moving closer each day until Epiphany, or the Feast of Three Kings, on January 6.
Here's a little something that many people don't know. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25 and end on January 6.
I wish everyone who celebrates a wonderful Christmas! Be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for all of the Pink Saturday participants sharing a Christmas tradition with their pink goodies today.
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22 comments:

  1. This looks like a lovely manager. It is so nice to read about so many holiday traditions lately. Happy Holidays

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  2. Oh wow, I love how you did the Nativity during your childhood! How magical that must have been for all of you.

    Justine :o )

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  3. That is a lovely tradition you will always have about growing up. How nice and what a lovely scene it is....and yes, I see the pink!

    Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year, Elizabeth!

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  4. YOU ROCK... but, you probably already know that!

    http://www.sowonderfulsomarvelous.com/2009/12/so-much-awesomeness-i-dont-know-what-to.html

    Dude, I can't even express how thankful I am.

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  5. I love your nativity set, Elizabeth. That's a wonderful traidtion. We always had one when I was younger, and last Christmas I won a blog drawing where they gave away a white porcelain set. It's So pretty! :-)
    Because I'm Episcopalian, I did know that about the days of Christmas, and thank goodness for that because our tree is not up yet. So I will put it up soon and leave it till after the New Year. Thank goodness for epiphany! :-)

    Happy Pink Saturday...

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  6. Hi elizabeth...
    Happy Pink Saturday, and thank you so much for sharing your beautiful nativity set. How serene it looks sitting there waiting on the great event to take place. It is beautiful. Your Moma chose a beautiful tradition even back then, knowing how much it would be loved someday. So many folks today didn't care about their Mothers things, and can you imagine what wonderful heirlooms were lost because of it? I love yours and thank you for sharing.

    Country hugs sweetie...Sherry

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  7. How lucky you are to have your childhood creche. It is beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us. Happy Pink Saturday and Merry Christmas!

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  8. Happy Pink saturday and Merry Christmas!
    Thanks for sharing it!

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  9. It's beautiful Elizabeth. The nativity was always the first thing to go up in my mom's house. Sounds like your mom's was very special.

    We've got snow!!!!

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  10. What beautiful Nativity scene and lovely tradition. A bacon and egg sandwich sounds perfect to me. i hope you enjoy yours this year. Wishing you a wonderful weekend :0)

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  11. I love your Christmas story. I'm planning to tell my granddaughters the story about the various figures moving toward the Holy Night's events and the Three Kings. We've talked about it but what a great visual for children.

    The Nativity it self is beautiful and such a treasure.

    Happy Pink Saturday.

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  12. What a fun way to do the nativity. I have mine from when I was a child.
    I have had so many Google problems-and it isn't over-Google has no idea how to solve the problem.
    Sorry I haven't been by much-I decided after weeks and weeks of non-stop Google issues, I am throwing my hands up and making much needed visits.
    I hope you have a Very Merry Christmas and hope you can come by for a visit. I will continue posting, even if it doesn't show up in the Reader.
    Cheri

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  13. What a wonderful nativity scene, and how great that it is a family tradition of yours for the kids to set it up. Such treasures!

    Happy Pink SAturday!

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  14. Thanks for visiting me today Elizabeth!
    I love your 50's nativity scene, so vintage and pretty!
    Interesting about the 12 days of Christmas, I never knew that before!
    Have a great weekend and enjoy your jambalaya...YUM!

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  15. I love the story of how you set the wise men and kings away and moved them closer every day. What a sweet tradition. Have a wonderful Christmas!

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  16. Wonderful figures and I love the story you told us! (Today I am not sharing PS - my yesterday-post is a bit white / a bit silver ... - but I liked to visit you. ...) Hugs, Traude

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  17. What a lovely post and a wonderful tradition. I very much enjoyed reading it. My post this week is my mother's recipe for Lethal Sherry Trifle (there's an awful lot of sherry in there). She passed away nearly 30 years ago now, and I always think of her every time I make it.

    Happy Pink Saturday, sweetie!

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  18. What a beautiful Nativity! I like the idea of moving the Shepherds closer each day. I also didn't know that about the twelve days of Christmas. Thanks for coming by to visit today, I'm guessing you were looking for my Pink Saturday post but when I hit publish, I forgot to make the date current and it posted on the day I wrote the post. Oops. Merry Christmas to you Elizabeth!

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  19. Hi Elizabeth - love your name! Thanks for sharing the wonderful tradition, and your beautiful pictures. Very please to meet you and hope you visit again soon!

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  20. It's neat the way your mother taught that the birthplace of Jesus was in a warm climate. So many people put nativities on "snow."

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  21. what a pretty nativity! Have a Happy New Year!

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