Our youngest child, Rachel (now a mom of two), was a very active and curious five-year-old. At the time, we were living in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. In the weeks before Christmas, our neighborhood boasted many beautifully decorated homes. Although we were Jewish and did not put up any lighting or decorations, we regularly rode around as a family, admiring the splendor and creative displays.
One of our neighbors had especially colorful lighting on their house and large Santa and Frosty the Snowman figurines in their front yard that were lit up by spotlights. It became a habit for Rachel to wave when we drove by and say, “Bye, bye Santa. Bye, bye Frosty.”
One evening as were driving past the house, Rachel became very excited. She noticed they had added a nativity scene to their front yard. She loudly exclaimed, “Bye, bye Santa. Bye, bye Frosty. Bye, bye people camping out.” My wife and I burst out laughing and couldn’t stop until we pulled into our driveway a couple of blocks away.
We realized that we needed to explain to her what a nativity scene was. We still enjoy viewing the festive lighting and decorations as a family. To this day, twenty years later, we have a good laugh whenever we recall that special moment.
Bob Steele's Musings 