for unto us a child is born

Both my mother and my mother-in-law have a nice collection of nativity sets.  We also have a considerable number of aunts, grandmothers, and great aunts who have their own selection of nativities.  Early on Julianna developed a fascination with the manger and the baby Jesus.

When I got out one of my nativity sets from when I was a kid, it entertained her for hours.  She would pick baby Jesus up and kiss him gently.

Julianna's enthusiasm encouraged people to give her more and more nativity scenes. This Christmas we have no fewer than nine nativities around the house and most of them are played with daily.

I often find them like this:

Or like this:

And the ones in my mom's house always get rearranged so that everyone is looking at Jesus like this:

Recently, we got a little finger puppet set from Oriental Trading Company and Julianna would get behind a chair and put on a show for us using Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the three Wise Men.  She would exclaim, "What a precious baby!" and then the puppets would give him a kiss.

I don't want to forget these moments.

For to us a child is born,

   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6