Little Sacred Spaces

    A nativity scene is featured in many homes at Christmas time.  In my family we also referred to it as the manger scene. Some sets include shepherds, sheep, and wise men - perhaps even camels - but central to the scene are Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus and an angel. The scene reminds us of the religious meaning of Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birth, and the much-loved story of how this came about.      Nativity scenes come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. This one that graces our home now once belonged to my mother. It has replaced the set that our kids grew up with since I gave it to my daughter. When the kids were little we hid baby Jesus until Christmas Eve. Vera and Peter took turns putting Jesus in the manger when we got home from church that night. When they became teenagers, and Peter had grown wiser, he realized that nobody would have been in the stable before Christmas Eve, so he hid Mary and Joseph, too. Vera would try to find where he ...

     Today, December 21st, we honor the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, which heralds the return of the sun. This day has been celebrated in many cultures throughout history, but was largely forgotten as the celebration of Christmas grew more popular. Growing up, I never heard anything about the solstice, but judging by the numerous Facebook posts about the winter solstice today, I believe it has regained popularity in the world.      This is the first time I have added a winter solstice altar to my Christmas decor. Instead of red, I'm displaying a yellow bird and lemons to honor the rebirth of the sun. Of course the candle flames are another reminder of the sunlight we will celebrate as it increases every day after today.      I will close with one of the odes to the solstice I found on Facebook today: May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night, that each day forward is blessed with more light. That the cycle of n...