The posada box has been on its travels around Llangedwyn since the 1st of December Advent.
We were lucky enough to have the box over night on the 5th of December 2010.
Inside the box there are knitted figures of Mary Joseph the donkey and a few sheep. There are also information sheets prayer sheets and a posada diary to write your thoughts when having the box over night.
Having given Mary and Joseph a place to stay for the night we kept a information sheet prayer sheet and a sheep which you later take to a crib service on Christmas Eve.
Advent means coming. Its a time of preparing for Christmas. The coming of Jesus.
Posada is an old Mexican tradition where young people dressed as Mary and Joseph travelled from house to house asking for a room for the night and telling people about the imminent arrival of Jesus in the weeks leading up to Christmas. On Christmas eve they would visit the local church to re enact the nativity and place figures of Mary and Joseph in the crib.
Modern day Posada uses nativity figures of Mary and Joseph who travel from home to home.
As part of our getting ready for Christmas the Posada figures of Mary and Joseph ( and the donkey ) have been travelling through our community from house to house. I have made room for them in my house tonight. This is a symbol of welcoming the Lord Jesus into our hearts and lives at Christmas.
It will be Christmas soon !
When having the posada box overnight you are suppose to talk about it with your family. Light a candle then sit and think about the real meaning of Christmas.
I had many thoughts when looking at the figures in the box.
I remembered Christmas when I was a child, how we would attend the Christmas service with the Brownies, Sunday School, Girl Guides or the Wood Craft folk. Sometimes it was a different service at a different time with a different group. Sunday school was in a hall behind the church. At Sunday school we would draw create items and play games.
When I was a child Christmas was all about the birth of Baby Jesus and Nativity.
I loved Father Christmas I would leave milk and cookies out for him on Christmas Eve and carrots for the reindeer. It was a magical time as a child. On a few occasions I was convinced I had seen his sleigh pass overhead.
Even now with new technology you can follow Santa around the world on Christmas Eve on the NASSA web site. I have done this with my own children many times when they were young.
I also loved to open my gifts on Christmas morning. Surrounding myself with my new colouring pens on the couch watching Christmas Television.
I also loved to visit my ponies, giving them a special Christmas dinner. I remember one Christmas when I was feeding my friends pony. My mum ( she was scared of them except my old Pepi ) stood screaming as the pony got me against a wall kicking me. My Aunty Carol waded in and kicked it back. I had to hide my hoof print bruises especially a huge hoof print above my knee from my all over Christmas.
Christmas now is not an easy time for myself and my family.
I lost my dad Christmas day 1989 I was only 22 years old. He had been ill since I was a little girl. I remember sometimes coming back for the hospital from St Catherine`s hospital near to Christmas looked in the windows of houses at the Christmas trees all lit up. From the steep roads overlooking the River Mersey you could see the Liver Building in Liverpool all lit up along with the other building along the river.
Christmas was not easy then I lost Baby Callum mothers day 1996. I did not really celebrate Christmas till I had my boys.
Then I had some fond memories of my boys opening their gifts on Christmas day and in the school Nativity plays. I remember Daniel being a Shepard and Aaron as a very small boy being Joseph along side Molly who was Mary. The later two were so funny as they fought over the baby Jesus and their Aunty Pat after the performance.
Daniel was excellent at tearing the paper off his presents to reveal the toy underneath. His eyes shone with delight. Unfortunately Daniel was often ill around Christmas.
The worse Christmas was 2007 the death of my precious Daniel, he was poorly most of December but his condition worsened and he was admitted to Alder Hey on the 23rd of December with multi organ failure. He was stable Christmas Eve so I came home to pick up a distraught Aaron and some of the Christmas gifts I had bought for them.
Aaron sadly learnt in a very harsh was Santa did not exist. Through out Christmas both Aaron and I watched our precious Daniel suffer so very much. What I saw haunts me to this very day how helpless I was to help him and stop his suffering.
When not at Daniels bedside Aaron and I spent some time in the hospital chapel lighting candle and preying to god to help Daniel. Daniel went into the arms of Jesus 6pm New Years Eve. Leaving us completely heartbroken. I came home New Years Eve to a Christmas tree littered with presents for Daniel that he would never get to open.
I would never wish what we went through on my worst enemy.
Some people ask how do we cope with such memories.
Well many thing happened in the last few days of Daniels life and after, even to this day that I can not explain. I know my Dad, Callum and Daniel are all at peace away form any more pain and suffering.
The Crib Service is to be held On Christmas Eve ( 24th December ) at LLangedwyn Church at 5pm
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