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Thursday, December 13, 2007

The Real Meaning of Christmas…

I know that I’ve been posting a lot about my Santa Claus collections and decorations and shopping and goodies and all but the real meaning of Christmas is really about something a lot different. It’s about a little baby who was born and the hope of peace he stands for. So at Christmas our home is not complete without the humblest of things. A crib set.

When we were young I remember my mum teaching us about how to make our crib set. You see back in those days it only came with small figurines and no house/stable/etc. So every year we’d look forward to making the crib. We’d think of creative ways to make it look humble yet nice. Believe me this is the real highlight of Christmas for us.

When I went to the US for the first time back in 1997 I found a beautiful crib set by Kirkland Signature in Costco of all places. Back then they didn’t sell that many crib sets here in Malaysia and even if they did it was small. So I bought it immediately and I hand carried it all the way back. My brother and sister loved the set and I wished I had got them one but it was just impossible to carry so many sets because they were heavy.

Of course the next time I went to the U.S. the first thing I did was get a similar set for my brother (they didn’t have the other set anymore) which was just as beautiful and hand carried it all the way back too. He loved it but now I had a problem because I didn’t have a set for my sister. So I had a friend send me the same set I bought for my brother for my sister. Unfortunately, the set came in with a few little parts broken off. I was devastated. I couldn’t give that set to my sister in that condition. I had managed to fix the angel’s hand that had broken off but the cow’s hooves were shattered and not repairable. It was almost Christmas I couldn’t send it back either. I had run out of options.

So instead of giving my sister the broken set, not that she would have minded, I gave up my own crib set to her and kept the slightly broken set for myself. After all the broken crib set still looked beautiful and now it had a little story behind it too. Besides I can still take a peek at my first set whenever I go to her place at Christmas too. So now every year whenever I put up our crib set I try to hide the cow’s hooves somehow while remembering the story. I can’t wait to tell my daughter the story of the crib set when she grows up.
Woo hoo I just love Christmas!

16 comments:

LadyJava said...

You are the sweetest Genie I tell you.. that is so sweet of you to forego you own to your sister.. such a selfless act and in real spirit of Christmas...

Good man you are :-)

Crazed Nitwit said...

How generous and sweet you are. Just as Jesus wanted his disciples to act.

Merry Christmas.

One Wacky Mom said...

Hi Adrian!
How are you? I love your masthead! It's soooooo joyful! It truly is.

Listen I have a meme for you to do...I don't care if you do it, but I do want you to read my answers...only because of what I wrote...

Time flies my friend...it truly does.
So here's my post. I thought of you and my friend Anitokid when I was writing the answers...about my sons.

http://wackymom.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-award-memes-memories-and.html

Adrian said...

LJ!! hehe...it really was okay because she is my sister and it's still in the family hehehe
Not really that big a deal...but I liked the idea that it now has a story behind it hehe

And first commenter again yay...err but what happened to our follow ups LOL

Adrian said...

JaniceNW! Gee you're making me blush...wasn't that big a deal, really! Like I said it was still in the family :):)

Thank you and have a Merry Christmas too! :)

Adrian said...

Hi Ev, Thank you! I love Christmas LOL

I'll be over to your place to check you your meme...:):)

Nice to know tht you though about us when you were writing your meme! Cheers! :)

One Wacky Mom said...

Adrian,
That was exactly my point my friend...hold her close...you got it.

It goes sooooooooo very very fast. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't wonder where the time went...

Course, in my head I'm still 25 year old, but I look in the mirror and I can't freaking see, but I know there's wrinkles....I'm just wondering who's they are? And where did they come from?

LOL my friend. Treasure every second...they are precious...

Merry Christmas to you and your family my friend!

Adrian said...

Ev, I will! :) Thank you so much for that insightful post and for thinking of me when doing it!

Actually these are the best times when she hasn't got school to draw her attention and all she wants is mummy and daddy! :) I better appreciate that more!

Yeah I have the same problem as you...I still think I'm 18 and in my heart I am...once in a while i do spot a grey hair trying to stand out among the crowd LOL and like you I say...wher did that come from LOL

I shall treasure the moments even more and thank you again! :)

Merry CHristmas to you and your family too my friend! :)

LadyJava said...

Yey... first again!..hehhe...

It is always nice to do stuff for people eh GK.. family or otherwise.. makes me feel all fuzzy inside :-)..

Follow-up? You mean with that buddy of ours?? or with B&B?? Confused lahh.. just woke up!..lol!

Adrian said...

Yup LJ! First again..woo hoo! LOL
Yup it's great to do stuff for people you care about...yup get the fuzzies LOL

Yeah with that buddy of ours...missing too! LOL

LadyJava said...

LOL GK!.. yelah...MIA heheh

Adrian said...

Cheers LJ!! :)

Mariuca said...

Adrian, that was sweet of u to give up your perfect crib so ur sis could have it. You truly are the spirit of Christmas, so giving. And u're right, it does make a nice story for daugther when she's older! :):):)

Adrian said...

GP!! Aw..like I said it was just staying in the family and not that big a deal! You fellows are making me blush lah LOL

I'm sure most people would have done the same in my position!!

I'm really happy that I got a story to tell the little one though for when she's older... something to pass along with the crib set when she inherits it one day! :)

Cheers GP! :)

Nessa said...

Lovely crib, very nice :)

Adrian said...

Thanks Nessa! I'm sure you guys will get that nice crib you were looking at too! :)