Decorating for Christmas

This morning before work I decided to get our main nativity out since we were decorating the house tonight. I made this nativity when we first came to St. George and Ann was about 3. We have loved it. We keep it in a big plastic bucket in shredded paper. It has been through about 10 moves and we have never had a problem with it. I opened it this morning and for some reason there are four pieces broken. I looked at it and wanted to cry. Thankfully none of them are my main pieces. All four of them are animals. The standing camel had his head broken off, and a chip out of the base. The other camel and the two sheep are in about 4 or 5 pieces each. I called my mom and she said that she would help me paint them again. Now I just have to find them. Hopefully, I can get replacements. I know it is just a possession, but I love it. This is the part of decorating that Chris has a love/hate relationship with. He loves the lights up on the house, but he hates having to go through them to see what is working and what is not. Every year we need new strands. Next year we may start investing in the LED ones. They are supposed to last a lot longer. I think that they also have the bonus, of when one light goes out it doesn't make the whole strand go out. Wahoo for that!
We always decorate the tree and the house on the first Family Home Evening of December. The kids have always decorated the tree while Chris pulls the ornaments out of the box. My job is all the other decorations and the picture taking. I evidently need to take a photography class. Sometimes I think my picture taking skills are getting worse instead of better.
Dad topping the tree.