Nativity

A couple of weeks ago, John went out to buy us a new microwave.  Well, it was new to us...but it was previously owned by Berndt.  Berndt is a German man that works here on post.  As he and John talked, Berndt let it slip that he had lots of items he was getting ready to sell and one of them just happened to be a handmade (by his father) nativity.

Well, John knows how much I've longed for a beautiful full nativity set.  The ones I truly love always seem to cost hundreds of dollars.  I had decided that before leaving Germany I would invest in one since theirs are renowned as the most magnificent of all nativities.  With that in mind, John asked Berndt how much he was selling it for.

"Oh," Berndt replied, "How about 70 US dollars."

SOLD!

I couldn't buy three of the figurines for that sum.

So, John brought it home...its quite large and has a base as well as an inn/stable and all the figurines.  The base was covered in moss and rock and the inn was full of cobwebs and dust.

I put on my cleaning gloves and set to work...

Before...

After...

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.