AS A WOMAN OF FAITH, I center my Christmas celebration on the birth of Christ. I focus on the baby boy born to a young couple in Bethlehem. Seemingly ordinary, yet extraordinary.
To visually remind myself of Jesus’ birth, I display Nativity scenes in my home. This year I kept most boxed away, leaning into minimalism to make a stronger impact. The same goes for ornaments gracing my skinny, unbalanced Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Among those tree decorations is a Nativity tucked into an over-sized pinecone. Just Mary, Joseph and their swaddled newborn son with shining star above.
My sister-in-law Joanne, before she married my youngest brother, gifted me with this Christmas ornament decades ago. It remains a favorite.
On this Christmas Day, with that Nativity and a 60-year-old paper baby Jesus cut-out from a long ago Sunday School class nestled into the boughs of my short-needled evergreen, I am reminded of the reason I celebrate Christmas. Christ the Savior is born!
Wishing you a joyous Christmas from southern Minnesota!
© Copyright 2022 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
A very merry Christmas to you and yours, Audrey. How wonderful to enjoy this special day among your reminders and treasures of this day.
Thank you, Beth. I hope the weather has settled enough for you to be with some, if not all, of your family.
yes, it ll worked out in it’s own way, as it always does -)
Good to hear!
Thank you for sharing your faith in this most precious way. Our 2 year old grand daughter Grace kept taking baby Jesus out of the Nativity and placing him on the floor and covering him with a blanket to keep him warm. Memories to last a life time. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I love this story about Grace (a favorite name, btw). A blessed Christmas to you and your beautiful family, Ida (Ida was my paternal grandmother’s name)!
Happy Holidays to you and Randy!
Thank you, Keith, and the same to you, Nicole and Ethan.
Merry Christmas, Dear Friend. ❤
Thank you, Penny. Merry merry Christmas to you, too, way down in Texas!
May God bless you and Randy with a very Merry Christmas!
I hope you have a fun day of celebrating Jesus’ birth with your family…those who are with in person, as well as those who are with you in spirit.
Love!
Thank you, Valerie. We celebrated with Amber and family and zoomed with the rest after our holiday meal.
Wishing you the blessings of the Christmas Season and may 2023 be a prosperous joyful time for you.
Thank you, Sue. I am hoping for a better year in 2023. The past year proved challenging.
Audrey, whatever you felt like doing, or not, was right. Back to watching Christmas programs where I have people, black/white/etc. everyone I know that sings or just warbles is “back” in some group/program and they’re all streamed! So wonderful to have them all back full strength. “Silent Night” candles were a little brighter.
I sang until almost midnight last night and 6 mi from home, car just started to warm when I pulled in. No snow in the forecast!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year as son arrives!
Thank you, Sandra. Sounds like you had a joy-filled Christmas. The son flies into MSP this evening, stays with his oldest sister and her family and down to Faribault tomorrow for a belated celebration. I cannot wait to fold him into a hug.
Christmas IS a Christian holiday. It is nothing short of that, not Happy Holidays, Kwanza or anything else. Do others celebrate something else? I am sure that they do. Was Jesus born this day? No, probably not. However, that does not detract when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of the Savior. Merry Christmas and God Bless.
Thank you, Gunny, for sharing the reason you celebrate Christmas. A blessed New Year to you and your dear wife!