On Saturday the boys found Kringle sitting by the crèche (I LOVE it! It's a special made by a friend!) for our nativity set. Kringle can't wait until we get our Christmas stuff so that we can set it out. [For all concerned, my parents are bringing our Christmas decor this week. (I have the angels b/c I keep them out year-round.)]
"The nativity scene...is the symbol of Christmas. It celebrates the night of Jesus' birth and the beginning of His-story. But we know that God wrote this story long before Christmas Eve."
"Like any Father who has an extra special present already wrapped, & ready to give to His children, God could hardly wait to give the gift of His Son to the world."
The Nativity is the fulfillment of prophecy.
-the stable in Bethlehem
-the virgin Mary
-Joseph the direct descendant of David
-the star
-the wise men bearing gifts
-baby Jesus
Day 8-The Candy Cane
On Sunday, Kringle was on the bookcase with 2 fun candy canes!
We talked about the many things a candy cane symbolizes.
The candy cane started as a stick of sugar that parents used as a pacifier. Later, during the 1670's, a German choirmaster had the idea to bend one end to look like a shepherd's crook. Parents were to use them to help settle down fussy babies during the Christmas pageant. Hundreds of years after that, as legends go, a candy maker in Indiana decided to change it up to go with the real meaning of Christmas. He added a large red stripe to symbolize the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross. The two smaller stripes remind us that He was beaten, but that by his stripes we are healed! (Is. 53:5) The white part reminds us that He lived a life without sin. The peppermint flavor reminded the candymaker of hyssop, a plant that was used for sacrifices in the Old Testament. This reminds us that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. The hardness of the candy cane reminds us that Jesus is the rock of our salvation. The bent cane reminds us of the shepherd's crook, of course, & if you turn the cane over, it's a "J" for Jesus!
When we eat a candy cane we can, "Taste & see that the Lord is good!" (Ps. 34:8)
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