Epiphany

Growing up, it used to be easy to convince my mom to leave the nativity set up until January 6, which is the Feast of the Epiphany (when the Magi visited the infant Jesus). All of the other Christmas decorations were put away, but I could hold on to this one, last visual reminder of the holidays. Our nativity set was a white, ceramic one that my maternal grandmother made for my parents before I was born.

After I graduated from college, my paternal grandmother made me an almost identical set, which I have carted on multiple moves around the country. A couple of angel wings had to get re-glued here and there, along with one of the wise men's gifts, but overall it has survived intact.

For the past five Christmases, I've placed the set on the black demilune table in our entry. This makes it very accessible to little fingers, but the kids have been very respectful of it. Sadly, that doesn't make it impervious, and I'm sorry to report that I lost a camel this year. So before I lose any more pieces, I wanted to document this treasure. Thank you, Grandma Eddie!