Christmas crib

During another excellent school Nativity presentation this morning, I had a moment's panic that the crib had been left behind. It hadn't and, at the right time, it was brought forward for Mary to lay down her baby.
That moment of panic, though, spoke to me of the season of Advent and all the preparation we've tried to build into our lives at home and in worship together. When the Christ child comes, nothing else matters - all that is important is swaddled in a manger - therein lies Christmas.