By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Eight hundred years ago near Greccio, Italy, St. Francis of Assisi celebrated Christmas by assembling a living nativity or creche. He used live animals for a depiction of Christ’s birth, hoping to draw attention to the advent and away from secular materialism of the
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer One man’s idea of born-in-a-barn is the forerunner of some of our contemporary Christmas décor. Tradition says this man was so disturbed by the secular materialism around Christmas, that he staged a living nativity scene or crèche to draw attention to the birth of
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Christmas carols – I love them. That’s because I don’t sing them year-round or even in November. I wait until December and then savor them at church, in my home, and in the car on the radio. Many of the carols have roots in
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A working dad took his son to day care early one morning and was surprised to find the police there. He soon learned from the distraught director that someone had broken into the center the night before and stolen all their food. Instead of
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I’m a Christmas-carol fan. The music takes me back to my childhood and all those candlelight Christmas Eve services we attended. From there I went on to high school choir and church choir and – okay, I admit it – I know all the