My nativity/ Nacimiento 2010

Christmas has finally arrived! Ya llego la navidad

I put up my nativity scene today! And yes, I managed to include two things I grew myself in the garden! See if you can spot them... (clue: it's not the moss on the roof). I think the mountain cliff tree is quite realistic, not to mention the oasis palm trees in the mountain valley, what do you think? (the tree is a sprig of rosemary, the palm is a bit from the choisya; the whole scene smells lovely now!)

Putting up the nativiy scene is one of my favourite Christmas-related memories from my childhood. It was a tradition in our house, and it feels very good to be having my own now. Last year I got a new stable building, this year I think it'll have to be a new star (the current one is an emergency star cut out from a yogurt pot). The goat comes from our wedding cake top. Yes, I know: it's bigger than the camels, but wildly varying size scaling is also a family tradition (my mum has chicken twice as big as the elephants!!)... The other apparently random thing you can spot in this scene is a man crouching down. Have you found it? If you have, I know what you're thinking, and the answer is yes: he is a very rude man indeed! This scatological nativity figure is typical from the Catalonia region in Spain (the historical origins escape me) called 'caganer', and I bought it last year with my sister while she was still living there.

Hoy puse el nacimiento! Cada año voy refinando el diseño y añadiendo detalles. Ese año, aparte del portal (que es del año pasado), tengo una montaña, completa con arbol que crece en las paredes escarpadas, y un grupo de palmeras en el valle. Que os parece? Yo creo que la vegetacion me ha quedado muy realista, je je.  Y lo mejor de todo, son del jardin! El arbol es una ramita de romero y la palmera es una ramita de choisya. 

Y, siguiendo la mejor tradicion familiar, mi cabra (es la de la tarta de la boda) es mas grande que los camellos (aunque no llega al nivel del gallo vs. elefante de mis padres, pero es que ese gallo es inalcanzable, ja ja). Este año me parece que va a tocar una estrella nueva: la que tengo de momento es recortada de una tapadera de yogur (!). Cuando vaya a casa de mis padres estas vacaciones ire a comprarla, que me hace mucha ilusion. Ah, y por supuesto, tambien tengo las inevitables piñas y el caganer (este lo compre en Barcelona el año pasado con mi hermana).