Where did Baby Jesus go?

Is it just me, or did the Feast of the Presentation come and go quite quickly this year?

Our Catholic Liturgical Calendar launches quite quickly into Jesus’ Adulthood, shortly after the Feast of the Epiphany with the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan.  I guess we don’t have a lot of information from Scripture about Jesus’ Childhood, let alone those first couple of months as Mary looked after her newborn Son.  We know that the Holy Family went to Egypt until Herod died. We know about the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus (also called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary) as one of the Mysteries of the Rosary. We reflect on the event of Mother Mary and St Joseph presenting the infant Jesus in the temple, on the 40^th day after His Birth. Both Simeon and Anna recognized Jesus as the Messiah, affirming what Mother Mary had already pondered in her heart.

I remember those first couple months with a newborn…although the details day to day are somewhat of a blur! To me, it just seems so abrupt the way we celebrate Jesus’ Birth…and then so quickly launch into His Adulthood! With Lent still over a month away, I thought we could squeeze in one little craft once again celebrating the Baby Jesus…in honor of His Presentation in the Temple earlier this week.

So here it is!

I actually saw this awesome craft in the more appropriate time of Advent, but it took me a couple weeks to make our own version…in the Clementine Box Crib!

We easily found the materials we needed:

• a loner white sock (actually an anklet sock, but it worked out ok!),
• 2 elastics,
• some pillow stuffing,
• a scrap of blue fleece
• and a light colored Sharpie marker.

1. We stuffed the sock with the pillow stuffing and tied an elastic at the end, leaving as much of the 'ankle' of the sock left over.

2. We secured another elastic at the neck to make a nice round head.

3. We folded the remaining 'ankle' part of the sock back over the head like a baby hat.

4. We wrapped the little blue fleece blanket around the baby...as close as we could remember to the way we wrapped our babies. (I never could do that as neatly as the nurses!).

5. We tucked the remaining end of the blue blanket at the back of the neck.

6. We drew the sleeping eyes and little smiley mouth with a Sharpie marker

...and Voilà! Baby Jesus!

But where can Sock Baby Jesus sleep?

We wanted to build a proper little crib for Sock Baby Jesus...as simply as possible and once again... with materials on hand:

• a Clementine oranges box
• scrap material
• fleece scraps

I was delighted to remember that we had just emptied another little wooden crate of Clementine oranges (I love when they are in season!)...and I have always wondered what craft I could make with these cute little wooden boxes.

I took some material I had on hand and wrapped it around the box, experimenting with where the folds should be, to make a nice cushy bed.

No glue, no tape, no pins, no staples.

I had some other scraps of fleece. They weren't very big, but they make great little blankets.  I cut a fringe on the yellowish piece and I think it looks a little like straw (but soft and fluffy!)

I love having the little Sock Baby Jesus around…and seeing the nurturing side of our little Adam as he tucks in Baby Jesus or carries him around the house.

I think we'll keep Sock Baby Jesus out just a little longer...before we pack him away for next Christmas!

Copyright 2014 Monica McConkey