During Advent one of the questions that came up for us was what practices or traditions might we consider that will continue to draw our attention to the narrative of Jesus' birth. We have in the past had birthday cake for Jesus. We have reenacted the Christmas story by dressing up as different characters and reciting some lines. We attend a Christmas Eve service and read the Christmas story. Those have all been meaningful and helpful ways to turn our attention toward the biblical narrative, but it always seems worth it to ask again. If our desire is that Kai, Tate and Niyah continue to grow to know Christ, how can we open the way for their eyes and heart to be drawn into this central story of his coming to earth?
As is the pattern for me, when Melissa poses such a question, I consider it an invitation to brain storming. So I started throwing out ideas. I figure that it usually takes some bad ideas to get to the good ones so I don't hold back on even some of the more harebrained things that cross my mind. One of the first ideas I spouted was to spend the night as a family in the garage, the nearest thing we city dwellers have to a stable. I was surprised when instead of remaining silent so I could move on to the next idea Melissa said, "Okay, lets do it! But I'm volunteering to stay inside with Niyah (our 4 month old)!" I paused for a moment to consider what I had suggested. The weather was to be relatively mild, so if there was any year for a trial run on a potential family tradition, this was the year! We began making plans.
We decided just Kai (5), Chloe (our golden retriever) and I would stay the night outside. We considered including Tate (3) too, but then we remembered how our first family camping trip went this past summer. We thought July heat or Melissa being 7.5 months pregnant might be the biggest obstacles to our first family tent camping adventure, but quickly discovered Tate's free and energetic spirit overshadowed both. Among other memorable moments was our efforts at convincing him to settle down and sleep. All the excitement of such an adventure created so much enthusiasm in him that he continued to get out of his sleeping bag to give everyone one more hug and tell them good night "one more time." It was cute and all, but by 10:30 we were done with being pounced on for one more hug and wanted sleep. So, having eliminated less humane options for forcing him to hold still we decided that he and I would go sleep in the car.... where he could be strapped into his car seat! That memory sealed our decision that Tate would get a pass on this year's Christmas night in the garage.
When we told Kai he seemed to not think too much of it. A day or two before Christmas he asked if we were still going to do it. Other than that he didn't show much of what he thought about it, which for Kai is a bit unusual.
As Melissa and I thought more about it, we decided we would add the element of stopping by other "inns" around the neighborhood. We called some neighbors who we knew would be home for Christmas and told them what we were up to. We asked if they would mind playing along and turning us away. Some seemed just fine with their role, while others were more reluctant to tell us they had no room. One friend even offered to drop us off a little farther from home to help us feel the strain of a long journey a little more. A kind offer, but we declined. :)
During the Christmas eve service Kai asked a few more times if we were really going to sleep in the garage. He seemed to be getting excited about it. By the time we got home he was eager to pack his bag. He loaded up a stuffed animal lizard, snacks, his blankie, a few books, filled his water bottle, put on his pajamas and coat and declared himself ready for our "long journey." We read the Christmas story with the rest of the family and then set out.
We walked the neighborhood a little, getting into our roles. I role played with Kai a conversation that would happen at our stops. I wanted him to be an active participant, so he practiced laying out our situation and asking for a warm place to stay. When he was ready we stopped at our first house. The neighbors came to the door, their kids were already in pajamas. Kai explained our predicament and laid out our request. They were kind but said they had no room. They expressed their hope that we might find room elsewhere before closing the door.
At the second stop we were invited in momentarily by one of the family members who hadn't been informed of her role, only to be interrupted and turned away by someone more in the know. As we turned to leave they did offer a suggestion as to where else we might try, though that was the place we had just come from.
At our third stop no one answered. "Maybe they stopped answering because they are full already," Kai suggested.
As we walked down the block to our next stop Kai asked what we would do if we didn't find a place. He was concerned and talked about being tired from the long journey. I didn't have any more of an answer for him than that we would keep trying.
At our next stop we heard a similar message. There was no room here either. We asked if they knew of anything, were there any other options for lodging, even if it was for just a night. The inn keeper seemed to see the weariness and desperation in us and paused. She then suggested that we might stay in her stable if we had no other options. Kai looked at me briefly with eyes wide before turning back to say, "Yeah, we don't mind! We'll stay in your stable." As we walked around the house to meet the inn keeper at the stable Kai couldn't stop expressing his eagerness and relief that we had found a place.
The inn keeper opened the stable doors and we stepped inside, began to unload our bags and ready ourselves for the night. We brushed our teeth, removed our shoes and jumped into the sleeping bags that had been left for us. As we lay in the dark waiting to warm up we had a few details to get worked out. Kai wanted to clarify exactly which of us was Mary! He had claimed the role of Joseph, so I suggested I could be Mary. He sat with that for a short moment and declared, "No, you can't be Mary. Boys can't have babies. How about Chloe be Mary and we can both be Joseph." Originally Chloe's role was the only one that had been clearly defined. She was going to be the donkey, but with our desperate need for a mother she was promoted from livestock to the mother of God! As it would turn out, she played the role well. She had a very restless night, getting up several times to change positions and without a word clearly declared her desire for the comforts of a more "normal" sleeping arrangement.
Though Kai often is asleep only moments after laying down, the excitement of the days events held off sleep a little longer on this eve. "Joseph Number Two, aren't you glad we found a place? I don't know what we would have done if we wouldn't have. We would probably still be out there looking!" "That inn keeper sure was kind." "How long do you think we can stay? Do you think we will be able to stay here tomorrow too, or will we have to find somewhere else to stay?" "I'm sure glad we found this place!"
Before long he settled in and I listened as his breathing changed to the more relaxed rhythms of sleep. Here we were in a cold, dark stable with a restless "donkey" turned Mary. Though it was far earlier than I usually go to sleep I found it easy to settle in to rest. It was a silent night, holy in its own way. I drifted off to sleep.
Around 4 a.m. Kai woke with cold feet, so I snuck into the "inn" to get him some warm socks. He crawled into my sleeping bag for the rest of the night and slept until shortly after 8. I didn't sleep much once he joined me, but was at ease knowing that he was resting and that, at least for this night, he had enthusiastically embraced living life with Christ. Our deepest desires for him were coming to life as we slept in the garage.
We walked the neighborhood a little, getting into our roles. I role played with Kai a conversation that would happen at our stops. I wanted him to be an active participant, so he practiced laying out our situation and asking for a warm place to stay. When he was ready we stopped at our first house. The neighbors came to the door, their kids were already in pajamas. Kai explained our predicament and laid out our request. They were kind but said they had no room. They expressed their hope that we might find room elsewhere before closing the door.
At the second stop we were invited in momentarily by one of the family members who hadn't been informed of her role, only to be interrupted and turned away by someone more in the know. As we turned to leave they did offer a suggestion as to where else we might try, though that was the place we had just come from.
At our third stop no one answered. "Maybe they stopped answering because they are full already," Kai suggested.
As we walked down the block to our next stop Kai asked what we would do if we didn't find a place. He was concerned and talked about being tired from the long journey. I didn't have any more of an answer for him than that we would keep trying.
At our next stop we heard a similar message. There was no room here either. We asked if they knew of anything, were there any other options for lodging, even if it was for just a night. The inn keeper seemed to see the weariness and desperation in us and paused. She then suggested that we might stay in her stable if we had no other options. Kai looked at me briefly with eyes wide before turning back to say, "Yeah, we don't mind! We'll stay in your stable." As we walked around the house to meet the inn keeper at the stable Kai couldn't stop expressing his eagerness and relief that we had found a place.
The inn keeper opened the stable doors and we stepped inside, began to unload our bags and ready ourselves for the night. We brushed our teeth, removed our shoes and jumped into the sleeping bags that had been left for us. As we lay in the dark waiting to warm up we had a few details to get worked out. Kai wanted to clarify exactly which of us was Mary! He had claimed the role of Joseph, so I suggested I could be Mary. He sat with that for a short moment and declared, "No, you can't be Mary. Boys can't have babies. How about Chloe be Mary and we can both be Joseph." Originally Chloe's role was the only one that had been clearly defined. She was going to be the donkey, but with our desperate need for a mother she was promoted from livestock to the mother of God! As it would turn out, she played the role well. She had a very restless night, getting up several times to change positions and without a word clearly declared her desire for the comforts of a more "normal" sleeping arrangement.
Though Kai often is asleep only moments after laying down, the excitement of the days events held off sleep a little longer on this eve. "Joseph Number Two, aren't you glad we found a place? I don't know what we would have done if we wouldn't have. We would probably still be out there looking!" "That inn keeper sure was kind." "How long do you think we can stay? Do you think we will be able to stay here tomorrow too, or will we have to find somewhere else to stay?" "I'm sure glad we found this place!"
Before long he settled in and I listened as his breathing changed to the more relaxed rhythms of sleep. Here we were in a cold, dark stable with a restless "donkey" turned Mary. Though it was far earlier than I usually go to sleep I found it easy to settle in to rest. It was a silent night, holy in its own way. I drifted off to sleep.
Around 4 a.m. Kai woke with cold feet, so I snuck into the "inn" to get him some warm socks. He crawled into my sleeping bag for the rest of the night and slept until shortly after 8. I didn't sleep much once he joined me, but was at ease knowing that he was resting and that, at least for this night, he had enthusiastically embraced living life with Christ. Our deepest desires for him were coming to life as we slept in the garage.
