Thank you, Louise. I didn’t really notice the grimness! But considering the origin of the story, how happy could they be? There was no room for a pregnant woman and her carpenter spouse at the inn. A bummer. The only “bed” available was presumably in a nearby barn.

Then Mary’s contractions began. There was no one to attend to her except some animals, the carpenter, some itinerant strangers and an angel or two.

There was no place to put the baby when it was born but in the manger—a box filled with hay for the horses and cattle.

How happy could Joseph have been? His paternity was in question. If it was the spirit of Almighty God, couldn’t He have created a little more sanitary (and comfortable) conditions for his son? Especially considering the plan was for the baby to become the king of kings?

Being a bit grim may have been the least of their worries!

Anyway, I don’t want to disrespect the ancient story any more than I may already have. I just need to clean out my storeroom of things that may be of value, like this lovely and rare folk art rendition from a master wood carver in a remote island in the Caribbean.

What old man (like me) hasn’t outlived his savings and looked to cash in on things he can’t take with him when he is gone?"

(As of today, I still don’t know how much to ask for them or who to ask!!)