Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Wrong Way to Arrange a Nativity


Apparently I've been doing it all wrong.  At least that is what my housekeeper thinks.  Now, I had no idea that there even was a wrong way to display a nativity; unless it involved Michael Jackson or included a lobster, or something like that.

I learned of my improper creche arrangement when Matt and I returned from our lovely Christmas in Cape Town.  Our housekeeper had stayed with Prithvi while we were gone and took great care of her.  Since we came home the dog has wanted to play every time we sit down which makes us think she was quite pampered while we were away.

When we came home, the house looked immaculate; but then we noticed a couple of subtle changes to our decorating.  It appears that our housekeeper thought one of our end tables and our Indian chest should switch spots.  Fair enough, but we swapped them right back.  What we did not see until a few days later was the new configuration of our nativity.  For some reason, I have always grouped Mary, Joseph, and Jesus together, the wise men together, and placed the livestock throughout the scene.  When I returned from Cape Town they looked like this:


Clearly, I should have realized that baby Jesus should be in the middle with everyone else in a semi-circle adoring him.  I will file that away for next year so as not to distress our wonderful housekeeper.