Since it is the season, I figured that I might share one of my family traditions. One that has been continuing non-stop on a yearly basis for over twenty years. One that I am sure is repeated in numerous households across the land. It is, of course, the argument over how to set up the nativity scene.
Here’s the story. Since my sister is the oldest, she has always been in charge of putting together the nativity scene that we’ve had for as long as I’ve been alive. That was fine of course but as an inquisitive little guy I would look at it and ponder it for a little while. Over time, I became more and more upset until finally I asked my sister a very important question.
“Why are the camels on the outside?”
“Because they came late and wouldn’t be allowed inside.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. They let the sheep stay inside. The cow is sitting there doing nothing. There’s even a horse next to Joseph. And I bet if a penguin showed up he would get a place of honor. So why do we discriminate against the camels?”
“It just looks better that way.”
For the next twenty years it has become an annual tradition for my sister to put together the nativity scene and for myself to rearrange it and give the camels their rightful place inside the stable. And then have my sister rearrange them back to the original position. It doesn’t matter that we’re now older and that I should officially refer to my sister as doctor, this is one of those arguments that will not die.
Of course, that is what makes the holidays special. Those little events that become family lore. Traditions that aren’t created by either Coca-Cola or the Hallmark Corporation. The real events are what make this time of year special. So to all of those out there reading this little note, have a happy holidays.
2 comments:
On a quick search for nativity scenes, I found that not many scenes include camels, and when they are included, all have depicted the camels staying outside the confines of the stable. The presence of sheep, cows, or other non-camel animals in the stable largely depends on the size of the structure.
There is, however, one dramatization about someone berating the innkeeper for turning away a pregnant woman and forcing her to give birth in a stable with "donkey and camel dung" on the floor, which means that camels would have been kept in the stable at one point, so maybe they left the camels outside only in this particular instance.
My conclusion is that it would not be wrong for camels to be inside the stable so long as there is sufficient space. Noting the attitude of camels in comparison to the rather docile sheep and cows (and camels' habit of spitting) I would be inclined to leave camels outside of the stable with a newborn baby present.
Edit: replace the word 'attitude' with 'temperament'
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