The Reason for the Season

On Christmas Eve, the Shirts family had our first ever Christmas Nativity Pageant. The star of the show was Lincoln as baby Jesus. Other players were Kate as Mary, Micah as Joseph and the narrator, Jonah as the donkey and a shepherd, and Shannon as the innkeeper, wise man, and angel (obvious type-casting). :)

Here we have Mary, great with child. Kate loved the costume so much she didn't take it off until it was pajama time.

Jonah was originally slated to be Joseph, but the role he really craved was that of the donkey. He put together his own shepherd costume, too--complete with fisherman hat and baseball bat as a staff. And don't forget the animals. Check out the acting skills as he is told to "Be not afraid" by the angel (my costume was obviously not as creative).

The child is born. Kate insisted on being the one to swaddle him...and in this picture Lincoln is so swaddled I'm not sure his face is even exposed!
There's our cute little actor, accepting a gift from an admiring wise man. I'd travel hundreds of miles on a stinky camel to catch a glimpse of little guy, too.
After the nativity, we sang Christmas songs around the piano. Micah and I couldn't help but laugh at Kate: whenever it was a song she didn't know, she'd leave the room. But when she knew the song, she was there singing at the top of her lungs. After that, we got to open one present. Surprise! It was pajamas. Jonah wasn't too thrilled, but those are the breaks.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve...the first ever in our own home! We've always been with family on Christmas Eve, so it was nice to start some our own traditions this year. It truly made me grateful for my wonderful little family and, more importantly, for our Savior who has given us more than we could ever hope to repay.