Out of the Mouth of Babes

There are so many creatives in my family and extended family that if you can’t design, make, or at least improve a project someone’s liable to ask you for a DNA sample. This goes for cooking, sewing, painting, building you name it. My older sister was even an award winning silversmith. 

So when almost thirty years ago, I wanted my little girls to have a Nativity that I wouldn’t be afraid to let them handle, I made it. And then, of course, I had to make them for my sisters as Christmas gifts. Over the years I’ve added sheep and jeweled camels, gifts, staffs, and a few other things but what you see in these pictures is what I have left. There are two kings, two shepherds, Joseph, and Mary, and of course, baby Jesus. And they are well loved.

Each figure is about 8 inches tall and is on a burlap covered wire frame which makes it easy to position the figures. For the clothing I collected sheepskin and lambswool along with fabric I thought represented appropriate textiles. 

Arranging is not my forte and it was an effort for me to get the figures set just right to depict the best Nativity scene. At one point I must have forgotten my original reason for developing this Holy family and friends, because I became frustrated that someone rearranged the figures so they were circled around Jesus. It seemed rather stalker-ish and I had difficulty understanding why someone in the family didn’t appreciate my efforts. 

After the third or fourth time this disarrangement occurred, I assembled my group and asked what was going on. My littlest daughter who was preschool at the time looked at me and said, “Mommy, they all wanted to see Jesus.”

Oh.

Out of the mouth of babes…

Merry Christmas! This Christmas season I hope you make many memories with those you love.

Barbara Ellin Fox