Walk to Bethlehem

There is a rather brilliant and well put together event that happens just a little ways off of Montreal island. It is called the Walk to Bethlehem. We nearly went last year, but mixed up the days/times of the event and had our church Christmas party on the same day that we had planned on going. We went to the church christmas party, of course, as Atticus was over-the-moon excited about getting to be a part of a little presentation that the Primary kids were doing at the party (Milayla wasn't in Primary yet last year). 

So we were pretty excited to make it possible to go to the Walk to Bethlehem this year  (we went on the 28th) and even then, we almost didn't go. But we had the time to do it (after rushing home from groceries) and the weather was probably the nicest it was going to be which was considerably warm for Montreal but still felt pretty cold standing out in it. 

And in true fashion to our family - we left it a surprise to the kids, loaded up in the car and headed out. 

The kids had no idea what to expect. It was fun hearing them try to guess what it was as the city drifted further and further behind us. Even after Atticus read the sign upon our arrival, they had no idea what that could mean. And, in full disclosure, we really had no idea what all it entailed either.

I love that the first thing the kids noticed when we stepped out of the car were how many stars we could see. The sky was so clear and so beautifully illuminated with stars. Seeing that was a gift unto itself. I so miss seeing starry skies like that. And I love it when the kids notice the incredible beauty in the world around us. 

We thought we were getting there with ample time to have no wait but apparently arriving 15 minutes after start is too late and we had to wait in line for about an hour to get in (dear future self: arrive BEFORE opening next year). Thankfully, they had a few heat lamps and fires going in the line up because we started freezing pretty darn quickly. They also had some animals in the line which was a lovely way to keep the children's attention. Phineas really wanted to get up close and personal with the goats. It was sweet and reminded me of a couple outings to a goat farm in the Netherlands when Atticus was Phineas' age and he had the same love for goats and even had a goat try to chew his coat. 

I wish that I had snapped some pictures of the actual walk - I didn't - just pictures of the line up and pictures from the room we had hot chocolate afterwards. So, my little description is going to have to suffice. A really fun part was that we ran into some families from church. And, before I go any further, I just have to remark that I was struck with the impression as we were walking to the line up about how lovely it felt to be going to a Christmas event very truly, and exclusively about the Saviour. That little thought made waiting in the line seem like a blessing to see so many other people who wanted to celebrate the Saviour's birth as well. It was pretty unbelievable. 

To give the general idea of the Walk to Bethlehem, you are welcomed into a building (one of many) at the beginning with a group of about 20 people who become your family. It is with this family that you will be journeying to Bethlehem with to pay your taxes. Then you go back out into the cold to journey through different musical and acting scenes to set the scene of what it would have been like for Mary and Joseph to Journey to Bethlehem. We met other families on their journey, ran into King Herod who tried to pay us off to help him find the baby Jesus, had to show our Bethlehem passports to the soldiers, met Mary and Joseph and even their donkey, greeted the Wise men, saw the angels appear to the shepherds, journeyed through market (which easily had the best song of the journey), pay our taxes and finally arrive at the birth place of baby Jesus. We really didn't know what to expect and were just blown away by how much work, effort and talent went into the production. And it is all offered free of cost. Just incredible. 

Now, to the bits about our family journey. Milayla was terrified. As soon as she learned that we would be meeting roman Soldiers it was all too real for her. She knows her scriptures incredibly well, especially the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. So she knows what kind of things those roman soldiers do and she didn't want to be anywhere near them. Even with our assurance that it was all pretend, it just felt all too real for her. And she requested that we not go back there because she wants nothing to do with the roman soldiers ever again. She has the biggest, gentlest heart. We agreed that if she wasn't comfortable with it, we would not return until she was. We took a couple breaks with her so that she would not need to venture near the soldiers which helped a lot. Atticus soaked up every minute and suggested it would make a great family tradition. And Phineas fell asleep in the stroller (I was just happy that he was warm and safe). 

We really didn't anticipate how long the evening would be so when we made it back to the main building for hot chocolate and cookies, the kids were pretty tuckered out. We had enough time to chat a little bit with our friends from church and head for the car. We also saw Phineas' swimming teacher who was part of the production! 

All in all, it was a great evening. Atticus and Milayla shared their favourite parts and Milayla's overall feelings on the event softened as she talked about all the neat things that were part of it. She has since come to us to let us know that she would like to go back next year. 

I'm glad we went and were able to enjoy the evening together. It was so refreshing to have something to attend that was so dedicated to Christ during the Christmas season. It is something that we would like to make into a bit of a tradition for our family. I guess we'll see how they are feeling about those roman soldiers next year though.