The Johnson Family Heirloom

While Christmas shopping over a decade ago, my friend, Dawn Johnson, bought an expensive manger scene on sale for $29.95. Of course, her little girl, Breanna, wanted to play with the breakable figurines. Another of course . . . Dawn tried to teach Breanna not to touch them.

All Dawn’s efforts to keep the set "nice" seemed to go unheeded. One day, Dawn’s mother reminded her of how she had felt as a little girl while visiting Grandma Wells’ house, where the atmosphere was often tense, and no touching was ever allowed.

"For heaven’s sake," her mother pleaded, "let Breanna PLAY. After all . . . for $29.95 . . . this crèche is NOT a family heirloom!"

Good point. From that day, the manger scene saw a lot of action from Breanna and her friends. A careful investigation shows evidence that each piece has been repaired time after time. If figurines could talk, each could tell many stories of adventures that had happened at the hands of little children at play.

"This scar is where my leg got broken off while I was trying to kneel by the manger," a shepherd might say.

"This is where my wings got chipped that time I was flying too close to the wall," an angel might add.

Mary might reflect, "This is where Baby Jesus got his paint rubbed off from having the swaddling clothes smoothed so much."

This Christmas, the manger scene has taken its usual place in the Johnson household. Recently, Dawn’s mother stopped by and offhandedly suggested that it might be a good year to look for a new manger scene to replace the well-seasoned one.

Dawn’s reaction was swift and sure. "Mom! Are you kidding? We’ll NEVER part with this set! Do you have ANY idea how many times I’ve glued these figures back together? Breanna has been playing with this manger scene since she was a little girl. Why . . . it’s a . . . a family heirloom!"