fascinated with baby Jesus

My grandmother bought me this humble nativity set when I was in high school; I even took it to college with me. While Mary and Joseph are beautifully crafted, there was no matching baby Jesus. My Nana sent me a temporary baby jesus who has actually been "temporary" for about 15 years. I don't think I would even want a replacement now, despite his hard plastic body, black-dot eyes and bright red mouth.


Over the years I had tried to make toothpick mangers, but they did not last the packing up year after year. When we got out the Nativity two weekends ago, my aunt helped Bentley fashion a manger out of torn pieces of raffia. Bentley's fascination with baby Jesus began. We had read her stories from her Jesus Storybook Bible and when we would arrive at the New Testament story of His birth, she enjoyed (and still enjoys) pointing out the drawings of baby Jesus. But now to have a "tangible" baby Jesus! She is excited!

While her other animals receive numerous timeouts and even spankings on occasion, Jesus has rightly avoided the timeout chair. Instead he enjoys Bentley hugs, kisses and rides around the house in my great grandmothers miniature antique iron-cast pail. When she carries him around she announces that baby Jesus is sleeping and speaks softly to him. I love that despite his somewhat creepy appearance, for Bentley, just knowing she is holding baby Jesus is enough for her to not be taken aback by his hard plastic look and beady black eyes.


p.s. It has been interesting trying to explain Mary and Joseph's presence to Bentley. She understands Mary is his mother of course, but trying to explain that actually God is his daddy and that Joseph, well, Joseph is, let's see, Mary's husband and helps her raise Jesus, is a bit of a daunting concept for a 2-year-old to grasp. As Drew puts it, "How do you explain the Immaculate Conception to a 2-year-old?"