The Nativity

We have enjoyed experiencing various nativity presentations throughout Advent.  It has been such a joy to see these expressions of glad tidings and good news come to life in unique ways.

We have seen preschoolers raise the star of Bethlehem and guide the angels, the holy family, the shepherds, and the wise men.  We have seen the best King Herod ever--high and lofty in his dark shades and black leather jacket.  We have watched as a congregation itself was transformed into the nativity right before our very eyes.   We have seen the angels of Heaven watching the people of our "topsy turvy" World on Terrestrial Television.  And I have been touched in some way by each of these presentations in the storytelling.

These have been so much fun because Laura-Clare has not only enjoyed them while on the edge of her seat but has been able to experience the birth narrative "first hand."   These experiences have given her new language to talk about the story of the baby Jesus, and so this story has come to life in our household in new ways for this Christmas season.  In fact, she has been able to play with her Fisher Price Little People Nativity in a whole new way this year.

She can identify the characters in the story and engage with them, and in many ways, this nativity has become the focal point for our household instead of the Christmas tree.  It draws out the best in nativity fun especially when the star is pressed and "Away in a Manger" begins to play.  This is when the dancing starts.  It is a very sweet and honest response for the Christ child.  The little drummer boy played his drums.  Laura-Clare dances.

She was also dancing the day that we witnessed the presentation of a Topsy Turvy Christmas.  I was particularly struck by the "lead track" in this nativity play written by Lucy Moore and Neil Ogley.  It shares a Christmas message that a two year old may not really understand, but there certainly can be dancing.  Take a look at the lyrics.

"Topsy Turvy World"

It's a topsy turvy world we live in
We long for peace but we end up with war
It's a topsy turvy world we live in
We have enough and we still long for more
And we fight and we kill for a few miles of ground.
It's a topsy turvy world we live in
Find me a place where it all comes right way round.

It's a topsy turvy world we live in
Children go hungry and starve on the street
It's a topsy turvy world we live in
Others are dying from too much to eat
And there's plenty for all if we shared it around.
It's a topsy turvy world we live in
Find me a time when it all comes right way round.

It's a topsy turvy world we live in
We fly into space but so many don't know
In this topsy turvy world we live in
About him who made us to live, love and grow
And we've found out so much, but there's one we've not found.
It's a topsy turvy world we live in
Find me the one who will bring the right way round.

It's a topsy turvy world we live in
But God came at Christmas from heaven above
It's a topsy turvy world we live in
And live, died, and rose up to show us his love
And this love shows the way we can change things around.
It's a topsy turvy world we live in
But working with God we can turn it right way round.

Yes, fun and meaningful storytelling for all ages!

So, we may live in an upside down world, but God intends with our help to "turn it right way round."  I am always looking for glimpses of things that are "right way round" in our world.  I am always hoping that "we can change things around."  I think that when the nativity story comes alive in our midst we might just see our "topsy turvy" world and lives transformed.  Because of God's generosity through incarnation, maybe we will become more generous and selfless.  Then, maybe there will be a little less topsy turvy at all.

I saw a little less topsy turvy and caught a glimpse of "right way round" the other day while Laura-Clare was arranging the scene on her brand new felt board nativity.  Once the characters, animals, and props were situated, she carefully placed her collection of little Christmas cracker toys onto the empty manger (to our surprise without any prompting).  She said that she wanted baby Jesus to have toys to play with once he was born.

And so we receive the Christ child once again this Christmas so that our "topsy turvy" world might find itself "right way round."  May we be ready with generous and selfless hearts, with dancing, and with lots of toys.

Festive Indulgence

I am always hopeful that my blog posts will be helpful offerings for readers but especially for relatives and friends, who are far from England.  Of course, I am most interested in keeping people informed about some of Laura-Clare's experiences.  And now that Advent is in full swing and Christmas is fast-approaching, I am even more inclined to chronicle some of our journey through the holiday season.  So now for a little bit of festive storytelling!

Laura-Clare and I set off on a big adventure to London!  Yep, just the two of us.  Trains, taxis, stroller, and our good 'ole fashioned feet carried us through the day.

We ventured to the Thatcham train station despite the slippery, ice-covered paths, and we loaded onto the train that fortunately took us directly to London Paddington with no changes (and only two brief stops). Laura-Clare gazed out at fast-passing trains, watched for cows, looked at houses, and struggled to keep her feet off of the lady in front of her.  Within about 50 minutes and only a couple of gentle kicks later, we arrived at Paddington Station.

We moved along hand-in-hand, as we followed the signs for taxis.  I had made a deliberate decision not to juggle the tube because our route would have required two changes.  So, we opted for the less cost effective means of travel (but no doubt more convenient and more comfortable).  Through the taxi windows, we watched as the city passed by, and Laura-Clare was most excited to see people riding on horseback on the streets along the way.  Once we crossed through Hyde Park, we arrived at our destination--Harrods.  It was time for a bit of seasonal browsing (notice I didn't say shopping).

We ventured into the world of over-the-top consumerism and festive, holiday excess, but I must admit that several times along the way, even amidst the Juicy Couture, Godiva, Thomas the Train, and Wedgwood, I quietly hummed "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

So, to offer my disclaimer, yes, I do understand that Harrods in Advent says nothing about Jesus.  I do understand that shiny, shimmery green, white, and red aren't heralds of the good news.  But, at the same time, I do also understand the joyful language of chocolate and much more in the life of a two year old!  And the language of chocolate in the Food Hall of Harrods speaks volumes.  This is where it began.

We entered the chocolate shop.  We looked wide-eyed into the chocolate cases:  milk, dark, white, bars, truffles, hollow, solid, assorted, mixed, decorated, cream-filled, nut-covered, bagged, boxed, on-a-stick, wrapped, organic, fair trade, sweet, bitter, mint, orange, and sugar-free.  How could we resist?

We walked away with just enough--a dark chocolate Godiva bar for Daddy, a milk chocolate teddy bear (to be eaten by the two year old immediately), and a penguin-shaped milk chocolate character (to be nibbled on by the two year old throughout the entire day).  Obviously, this was not a day full of healthy food boundaries.  So, I just this once will blame my lack of parental discipline and positive influence on something else--the yummy temptations of Harrods!

After having completed our chocolate escapades, we continued through the maze of indulgences to feast our eyes on the other rooms filled with candy, ice cream, cheese, tea and coffee, cakes, exotic fruit and veg, and yes Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  Then, we were off to the Harrods "Toy Kingdom" where Laura-Clare walked around rather aimlessly yet mesmerized.  It was wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor toys in this kingdom of sorts.  And really Laura-Clare didn't know which way to turn first.

After the toy extravaganza was said and done, we had to break for lunch.  We certainly needed our sustanence for the journey.  We found a very kid friendly restaurant in the bounds of Harrods where Laura-Clare enjoyed another indulgence of her very own--food and cartoons simultaneously!!  She watched her fair share of Bugs Bunny before she loaded up with her chocolate penguin and fell asleep.

This was my chance to explore beyond the chocolate and the toys and the candy.  I made my way straight for the china and crystal rooms.  I always have a good laugh at myself when I think about how much I love china and crystal and all the bits and bobs that go with them when, after all, I am not the most proficient cook in the kitchen.  Nonetheless, I browsed along every aisle of the breakables while the toddler slept.  No curious hands.  No running feet.  No mommy heart palpitations.  Just peace and quiet and fancy dinnerware (for a whole hour).

Then, in the post-dinnerware, post-nap part of the adventure, we realized that there was very little that we hadn't seen except the ice cream!  So, we feasted on our final two scoop, strawberry and vanilla, indulgence, and this yummy treat would close out our day.  We had eaten our fill. We had window shopped the day away.  We had lived the festive Harrods adventure.

So, we exited London the same way we entered, but this time with memories of adventure and experiences of festive indulgence in tow.

Life Is Play

I love to watch the way play imitates life.

Of course, I know that children (including myself) have "played school" throughout the course of history, but when I watch my two year old in action--when her play imitates life, it almost feels as though she is the very first one.  It draws out a parental joy that is simply wonderful!  Part of the joy is watching her express and explore, but the other part of the joy is that her life-imitating play brings out a playful side in me that is not always easy to find.

I realize that the game of pretending offers many expressions of the things of life.  And in our household, there is a favorite at the moment.  I would call it the game of order-taking.  (Clearly, this says something about our daughter's experiences with restaurants...)  The game generally involves a piece of paper or notepad and a crayon or pencil or maybe even the Super Scribbler, a two year old, and a willing participant.  It goes something like this.

It begins with the order-taking:  "What do want?"

The response:  "I would like pancakes, please."

The order is written down.

Then again:  "What else do you want?"

The response:  "I would like some strawberries on the pancakes, please."

The order is written down.

Then again:  "What else do you want?"

The response:  "I would like some orange juice, please."

A brief pause:  "No.  You want milk."

The response:  "Okay, I would like some milk, please."

The order is written down.

Then again:  What else do you want?"

The response:  "I would like some hashbrowns with ketchup, please."

The order is written down.

You must certainly understand the game by now.  This is the joy of "tending," as our little one says.  Frankly, it is just plain fun.  And it is, of course, adorable because there is an actual order sheet brought forward in two year old handwriting (that really says nothing yet somehow says everything at the same time).

I think that in many ways this is play imitating life at its best.  There is fun yet also a means by which we can engage with one another.  There is laughter yet also a way to encourage a practice of cooperation.  We all love to play the game of order-taking!

With this said, we have happily realized that the lines between order-taking play and life are often rather blurry.  We knew this with certainty one day not too long ago when the doorbell rang.  It went something like this.

Ding-dong.

Two year old order-taker, WITHOUT crayon or paper in hand, takes off running.

She screams:  "It's a customer!!!!!!!"

(Cut to Mommy and Daddy stopped in their tracks by laughter.)

Yes, I love to watch the way play imitates life.  But moreover, I love that life is play!!

A Few Days Together

We squeezed in a few days of holiday in November, and strangely enough, it had nothing to do with Thanksgiving.  We made arrangements to visit Wales (yes, despite the potential for cold rain) and to explore beyond Thatcham.  We booked a room at a lovely B & B in a village called Llyswen just at the edge of the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacon National Park.  Needless to say, it was rather quiet in Llyswen.  Just what we wanted!

Upon arrival, we had absolutely no daily plans.  We had no itinerary in place.  We had no detailed agenda.  And really we had no specific expectations except that we would rest, play, and be together.

We piled into our cozy family-size room and loaded it down with what appeared to be enough stuff for three weeks not simply three days.  (How else do you travel with a 2 year old?)  Of course, this included all variations of weather gear for each of us--waterproof jackets, wellies, walking shoes, dry weather jackets, fleeces, hats, gloves, and scarves (these are the British Isles after all)--as well as a useful variety of toddler toys, activities, and snacks.

Somehow amidst the mounds of personal belongings we settled into the space and more importantly into the time, and it would be the start of a very relaxing and renewing (and even dry) three days.

  

We enjoyed the scenery!

We visited churches (of course)!

We played!

We indulged (yes...juice for LC)!

Our adventure into south Wales was fun and joy-filled.  It was a wonderful occasion to have a few days together so that we could share experiences, simple yet somehow extraordinary, that will be remembered for years to come.  We are very fortunate to have opportunities as a family to explore, play, and even indulge.  And for this I am grateful!