No crib for a bed...

This tiny little manger, is empty you can see.

Fill it with straw, to make it as soft as can be.

In December add a piece of straw each day,

For service you give and kind words you say.

Show daily acts of kindness. Do them secretly

So this manger will be ready, for a special baby.

This Christmas I placed each piece of a new Playmobil Nativity set in Awsumb's Playmobil Winter Forest Friends Advent Calendar.  Remembering how much my little sister loved this activity when she was little, I also cut a few pieces of embroidery thread into hay for Awsumb to earn for the baby Jesus.  One night Awsumb had the idea to quickly unload the entire dishwasher before Daddy got home.  This is a new responsiblity for Awsumb and he often doesn't put large dishes or pans away or forgets to do the top rack.  So there he was furiously trying to unload every single dish and put them away before he was caught... when I heard such a clatter!  Instantly I knew what it was and told him to stay put.  Awsumb had climbed up on the counter with a large Pyrex dish to put it away on the top shelf. What made him think it even went up there in the first place I'll never know?!  And of course not only did it break into a million little pieces, but it took a few dishes with it as well.

Awsumb was so upset it took me a while to figure out if he was hurt.  And even after that he wouldn't calm down. He kept asking how we was "ever going to earn enough soft hay before the baby Jesus arrived, when he couldn't even do a simple job like unload the dishwasher?" 

Awsumb was sure that I was going to be sad and that old Pyrex must have cost at least $100. "I don't have that kind of money," he kept saying.  There was no soothing him.  To distract him I sent him to open the next box to his nativity. He came out of his room carrying this shepherd complete with hobo stick and exclaimed, "What is this?  A hint that I'm kicked out of the family." 

He thought it was a homeless guy, not a shepherd!

And of course that led him back to being upset there would not be enough soft hay for he baby Jesus.

In frustration he said,

 "Maybe we should just get him a blanket!"

The funny part is that the Pyrex was a replacement gift from my father after I had a major Pyrex disaster of my own 15 years ago.  Let's just say I learned that night not to put a pyrex dish on hot burner!  The pan exploded EVERYWHERE and the hot shards of glass melted into the vinyl flooring making clean up impossible. 

Looks like I need a new Pyrex, Dad!