Bonus Day: 12 Days of Christmas Stories {Trouble at the Inn & Nativity Ornament}

Forgive me for being a little late today. I have been enjoying some unexpected family and I knew you wanted to sleep in today anyway. 

Check out Day One: Christmas Day in the Morning

Check out Day Two: The Three Trees

Check out Day Three: A Christmas Carol

Check out Day Four: The Gift of the Maji

Check out Day Five: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Check out Day Six: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Check out Day Seven: The Christmas Envelope

Check out Day Eight: The Secret of the Bullfinch

Check out Day Nine: Christmas Angel

Check out Day Ten: Candle in the Dark

Check out Day Eleven: The Very First Christmas Tree

Check out Day Twelve: The Candy Bomber

Today wraps up the 12 days of Christmas Stories. I want to share one more story and the most important Christmas story with you today. First read this adorable story of a young boy who truly understood the meaning of Christmas (Download the pdf copy here Trouble at the Inn, click it once and then again on the next page).

Trouble at the Inn

By Dina Donohue

For years now, whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling.

Wally’s performance in one annual production of the Nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty keeping up. He was big and awkward, slow in movement and mind.

Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wally would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important.

They’d find a way to keep him out, but Wally would hang around anyway—not sulking, just hoping. He was a helpful boy, always willing and smiling, and the protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. If the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would be Wally who’d say, “Can’t they stay? They’re no bother.”

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the Christmas pageant, but the play’s director, Miss Lumbard, assigned him a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally’s size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town’s yearly extravaganza of crooks and creches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stageful of squeaky voices.

No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn’t wander onstage before his cue.

Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the innkeeper was there, waiting.

“What do you want?” Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

“We seek lodging.”

“Seek it elsewhere.” Wally spoke vigorously. “The inn is filled.”

“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”

“There is no room in this inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.

“Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”

Now, for the first time, the innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

“No! Begone!” the prompter whispered.

“No!” Wally repeated automatically. “Begone!”

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband’s shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all others.

“Don’t go, Joseph,” Wally called out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wallace Purling’s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have my room.”

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others—many, many others—who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

The project today is about the true meaning of Christmas. The Nativity. Shabby chic ornament style.

 

What you will need:

• popsicle sticks
• paper
• cut out of nativity
• hot glue gun & glue
• brown ink pad
• small wooden star
• paint and glitter for star
• twine

I stared by distressing my popsicle sticks with a brown ink pad. If you choose, paint your star yellow and glitter it, or you could also distress the star.

Build your stable with the distressed popsicle sticks. Don’t be confused by the one distressed popsicle stick facing the wrong way. I just didn’t like the distressing so I turned it over and did the other side. Just use hot glue and build the stable.

Cut out a piece of paper contrasting to your Nativity cut out. I used a navy blue. I ran my nativity scene through a sticker maker, but you could use any type of adhesive to stick your Nativity cut out to the back ground paper.

After your Nativity is stuck to the background. Use hot glue to glue the background paper to the stable.

Glue two sticks together for the roof and then glue to the main part of the stable.

Glue your star to the top of the stable and get your twine ready. Tie a not in the end of your small piece of twine for the ornament to hang on.

Glue the twine to the back of the stable behind the star. Let it dry and then hang it all around.

To end this post I want to share some of The Nativity story from the scriptures, which is the ultimate Christmas story. I hope you will keep this the true Christmas in your heart as you celebrate with those you love. I ask you to hug them, enjoy them and make sure they know how special they are to you.

Luke 2:4-5

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Luke 2:7

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:8-14

 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:15-17

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

Matthew 2:1-2

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 2:11

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Merry Christmas! Thank you for joining me during the 12 Days of Christmas Stories. I am wishing you all the best.