I purchased a Fisher-Price Little People nativity for Maggie a few months ago, and have been looking forward to the day I would begin really explaining Christmas to her. I also liked that she could have her own nativity, as mine is ceramic and was painted for me by my mom when I was a little girl.
I decided tonight was the night I was going to teach my daughter what Christmas was all about. I sat down with her and talked to her as I unpackaged the pieces, telling her about each one as I pulled it out of the box. I explained that Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus' birthday. I told her who his mommy & daddy & step-daddy are, and explained that he did not have a fancy hospital with doctors and nurses around when he was born, just his parents and the dirty stable and all the animals that lived there. We set up her nativity and went over everything a few times, and she repeated my words back to me. I was so thrilled and proud.
Well. I don't think I'll be invited to teach Sunday school any time soon. Apparently my theology lesson went awry somewhere, because when I asked her to tell Hubby what she had, she looked back at her nativity then at Hubby and said, "I haf elmos."
Yes. Her nativity is filled with Elmos.
Maggie is currently sliding the Baby Jesus down the top of the stable because he is in a sled, not a manger. The angel has been flown all over the room, and Maggie is very interested in the pwesents from the three wise men.
She just redeemed me a little - when I asked her who the presents were for, she said, "fa Gee-za burfdee" (for Jesus' birthday), then ran off to fly her yellow giraffe around the room.
At least some of the story stuck :)
