I’ll admit:

my house has been decorated for Christmas even before we enjoyed Thanksgiving.
I tried to wait but the excitement of the season just caught up with me and I couldn’t help but to pull out the Christmas decor.

My mantle is decorated with sparkly red, green and gold decorations, the tree is completely filled with sentimental ornaments, and our kitchen window is decked with snowmen my mom and I have collected over the years.

My favorite decoration this year, however, is an adorable new Nativity scene! In the past we have always had a kid friendly Nativity set that was fun for the boys to play with and safe from breaking. But I’ve always wanted my own Nativity set that looked a little more “adult” and stayed put together all day long; I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve found a plastic wise man in the laundry basket and a donkey under the fridge!

This year I finally found the perfect Nativity scene to add to our home! I love that it looks kid friendly — it’s not breakable, so if little hands get a piece I won’t lose it, but it’s still nice enough to display on a shelf.

Nativity scenes are important because they are visual reminders of why we celebrating Christmas. Among all of the hustle and bustle we experience during this fun time of the year, we need to take a moment and remember the birth of Jesus.

I display my scene on a main shelf where our couch faces, so it’s the front runner of all the decor in the house. I even put the boys’ plastic scene on the coffee table because while they play with the pieces we get to tell them the meaning of each piece and why we celebrate this wonderful holiday.

During the busiest time of the year, it is important to take time out every day to be thankful for God robing himself in flesh to come this world for you and me. And I have found one of the best ways for our family to do this is by having a simple scene of His arrival among all of my other holiday decor as a gentle reminder to celebrate Him.

I’d love to know what your nativity scene looks like and where you display it!