Every year as I prepare for Christmas and for the birth of our Savior, I look forward to bringing down one decoration from the attic more than any other… my creche.

I first saw it at my husband, Steve’s, parents’ home in Stowe, VT, one Christmas many years ago. When I asked Steve about it, he said he had built the stable from an old orange crate when he was a little boy. And it had been used by his family ever since. When Steve’s parents died, we inherited the precious stable, and it comes out every Christmas.

Years have chipped away the paint from the plaster of Paris figurines … but nothing can chip away the incredible beauty of this sacred nativity scene, so magnificent in my eyes.

As Christmas comes again, I bow before Baby Jesus, once more celebrating His birth in a humble stable in Bethlehem. I feel the presence of my husband and his parents from heaven… and I am sure they are smiling as they watch me sit before their nativity set. Looking at it quiets my soul… my mind… my spirit and my body… and helps me focus on this holy season.

With Christmas trees and shoppers… decorations and presents… wrapping paper and mistletoe all around me, I want to remain peaceful and calm… I want to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. I saw it in the eyes of a young boy last week, who was shopping in a toy store with his grandmother for a child whose name was pulled off a tree at their church. The joy on that little boy’s face, as he shopped for someone less fortunate than he I will never forget.

May we all have that same deep joy and love in our hearts this Christmas, and may we share it with others. That’s the best gift we could give our Newborn Savior.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!