In our next “Gift of Christmas,” Sister Kathleen Dueber shares her memory of her beloved Nativity scene from her youth.

“There is a Christmas decoration that I love. It is the stable and nativity scene that we had growing up, which got lovingly placed under our tree each year. The figurines included Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus in a manger, an angel, a shepherd, the three Magi, a donkey, cow, camel, and some sheep. I loved arranging these things under the tree each year.

“After my mother died, I brought it to Paola (Kansas) with me. When we moved to Maple Mount, I gave it to my nephew, Mike, who carries on the tradition of displaying it each year. It had a music box built into the side of the stable which, when wound up, played ‘Silent Night.’ It had a blue nightlight in the back of the stable. I would often turn out all the other lights and just have that blue light and the tree lights on and listen to it play, ‘Silent Night.’ It is a fond memory still.”