O Little Town of Bethlehem

I like December... a lot. I'm the kind of person who starts listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween because it puts me in a good mood and gets me excited for December. I'm not normally a cheesy person, but Christmas just does something to me.

This year I made a list of things I wanted to do as a family during this month. One of those things was to attend a live nativity that was put on by a stake nearby. We went tonight and braved the cold. I don't know if any one else in my family thinks it was worth it, but I loved it.

I've never seen anything like it. Instead of just the stable scene, they recreated the entire city of Bethlehem it seemed. As we waited in line for an hour and a half (while temperatures were in the 20s I might add) there were people in full costume walking around with animals to pet. There were bonfires every 10 feet to warm your hands by. The wisemen had REAL camels. (No joke, this guy raises camels and donates them to the nativity each year.) And then once you enter Bethlehem everything changes. "Main Street" Bethlehem is in a building and around each corner is a different part of the town... women at the well, a street vendor, a leper, a woman weaving cloth, the innkeeper, and then finally Mary and Joseph with the most perfect little sleeping baby. It was magical inside "Bethlehem." It was a long night, but it ended on a high note... Remembering the reason that we have to celebrate each year, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Sadly, we didn't bring our camera. But, just to save face, here's a picture of the boys while they were "helping" me rake leaves earlier in the fall.