It has certainly seen better days. Figurines are cracked and chipped. The paint is fading and the quality of the individual pieces is poor, comparatively speaking. It isn't even the nicest one in my parent's house, but every year this Nativity scene takes center stage at the base of my parent's Christmas tree.
When I think of the Nativity scene or even when I hear the Christmas story, to this day, THIS worn down and humble Nativity scene is the first imagine that pops into my head. My parents have a family favorite picture of me as an infant, lying on my stomach and barely able to hold my head up, looking at the scene. 24 years later, we took the same picture with Makela as a baby. 13 years after that, I found myself, tonight, back on my stomach in front of the Nativity, carefully arranging the figurines and straw after my 1 year old nephew went 'godzilla' on the three wise men.
I'm not certain where the sentiment of this particular Nativity comes from for my parents, but I can tell you that for me it is the perfect picture of Christmas. I imagine the birth of Christ looked pretty similar to this scene: shelter of questionable sturdiness, scraped and broken people involved, and the entire scene easily overlooked by those not paying attention. Thankfully, we DO pay attention in our house and continue to be grateful that mom and dad have kept this nostalgic Nativity in it's rightful place over the years.
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| The Kaopuiki Family Nativity set |
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