Nativity

Last week on the subject of the true meaning of Christmas, I shared Charlie Brown with you. This week, my last post until New Year's, I want to share something related that's a bit more personal. The Nativity Ballet.

When I was younger, I danced ballet, and every year my studio put on an original production called the Nativity Ballet, in which we told the story of the Nativity through dance. I loved Nativity. Sure, it was stressful, but it was an important part of the Christmas season. None of these videos are from when I was dancing, but they tell the same story: the birth of Jesus through the eyes of a girl named Holly.

This is my favorite ever ballet dance that I've done. This is after Holly gets a Christmas present she doesn't like and has to start learning about Christmas. By the way, my group was the first to get snow. :)

Breath of Heaven takes place right after the angel appears to Mary to tell her she will have a son and she must call his name Jesus. This is different choreography from my years in the Nativity (not that I was ever in this dance), but I think I actually like this choreography better.

This medley happens after Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem (that one's not on YouTube). I was in the middle part when I was ten.

I love this one, All is Well. It's Jesus' birth in a pointe dance. A beautiful dance. I got to be one of the cherubs who bring the sheet back out when I was nine. And I have stories to tell about the fog machine...

The littlest girls in the Nativity are angels celebrating the birth of Christ. I only did this dance at the Christmas concert, but both my sisters performed it in the Nativity.

And the shepherds. Really awesome. In some ways, I kind of wish I could have done Shepherds, even though I'm glad I quit when I did.

After the Christmas story is fully told and Holly understands the true meaning of Christmas comes Simple Gifts. This is one of my favorites. I was never in it, but that didn't keep me from doing it at home.

This is only a small taste of the wonderful thing that is Steps of Faith's Nativity Ballet. It's very special. It's a part of my childhood Christmas, and the story of that first Christmas. There are a few more videos on YouTube which you can watch (watch Gloria, it's awesome), but nothing quite compares to seeing it live. I've seen it twice, been in it five times. It's the best story in the world.

Merry Christmas! I'll see you again in the new year!

Christmastime is Here

Because "There's a lot of bad isms and one of the worst is commercialism," I don't want to keep on blogging about Christmas sales. There still are some, my ebooks are all $0.99 until the new year and signed paperbacks are $8.00 through the same, but I don't want that to be the purpose of this post. Because that's not what Christmas is about.

Christmas is a special time. We tend to think of Christmas as a time to get presents. A time for Santa. A time for busy stores. A time for getting together with relatives. A time for putting up the Christmas tree. For watching loads of Christmas movies. For nutcrackers and Grinches.

I like our Christmas tree. I like gift giving. I like Christmas movies (though to be honest, I'm kind of picky about them). I like spending time with family. But that's not what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is about the greatest gift ever given in the history of the world. God's gift to us. His gift of His only begotten Son, who died to take away our sins.

Amidst all the commercialism and Santas, there's one Christmas special, miraculously still on TV, that actually tells what Christmas is all about. Have my favorite part of my favorite Charlie Brown.

This Christmas season, don't get so caught up in Christmas presents and worldly traditions that you forget what it's really all about: Jesus Christ. The Savior. 

For unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.