It’s the week of Christmas! Who would know except for the decorations that are now draped across observant cities and towns. I’m trying not to be negative, but it feels like we are just doing another week in a deployment that has been extended with no defined end point. I find myself striving to keep pace with daily tasks while also attempting to remember that this is the time to remember the important parts of life that aren’t filed into the Life Admin category. So much remembering to remember. It’s no small feat when everything feels so ridiculous.

One of the best ways to clear my head and not feel overwhelmed is to go out for a walk or a run. Last weekend I decided to walk on down to Vatican City and check out this year’s main presepe, or nativity scene.

People hated last year’s scene. It drew ridicule and comparisons to Star Wars and even city trash cans. The new offering from Peru is wildly different and offers much more warmth. You pan across the landscape and almost think that it was chosen to make up for last year’s, but instead it is reported that this Andes-inspired scene was chosen to recognize 200 years since Peru’s independence. Much like the expansive manger scenes that many Italians love to build inside of their homes, there are too many details in the 30-piece display to capture in one photo.

It was worth the long walk down to the Vatican, even though Sunday is not the idea day to visit given the Sunday service. Still, it was early enough in the morning that it wasn’t too crowded yet. After checking out the Andean landscape, I remembered that was also a free exhibit showing 100 more nativity scenes— to even include one constructed from chocolate.

The visit starts off traditional enough. This one is an expanded version of what my family had growing up. Minus of course the fact that this is one constructed from Swiss pine, and is placed in the setting of the famous 1681 Renaissance Teatro Farnese in Parma. I wouldn’t have known this at all if it weren’t for the yellow card explaining the display. Also as a kid I never could have pointed out Parma on a map.

This is the much-talked about chocolate nativity scene— with the photo doing the artist no favors because it was taken in front of protective plexiglass. And of course the chocolate is not going to stand up well in the elements of the outdoors, but unfortunately this one looked a bit more unsettling rather than warm glow inspiring.

Once I got past the chocolate, I found that there was plenty more to smile about. Here we have one display that is characteristically Italian but at the same not at all traditional. If you have never used a Moka pot to prepare a coffee, then you might need to come to Italy and experience life before coffee capsules. That said, I prefer my coffee served from a machine, rather than the Moka.

I know this sounds sacrilegious, but if you take the religious foundation out of the nativity scene, there is something I find especially attractive about them this year. And last year. And probably will feel the same next year. These tiny sets depict a small gathering of people who all recognize that something special is happening. This year, if we are lucky, then each of us arel selecting who we want (or can) be with on a much smaller scale due to the pandemic. We’re writing the script according to our specifications, and with any substitutions or personalizations as we see fit.

As I wandered through the 100 presepi, I noted how they were all nestled together in a relatively small neighborhood of a space but were each still distinct. No, I didn’t find any tongue-in-cheek scenes with masked personages holding green passes (head to Trastevere to see that), but the various ways in which they were each constructed made me think about how we all honor our own traditions to celebrate life’s important occasions.

The espresso cup was so tiny, so clever. The artist’s description notes that the simplicity of the cup reminds you that Jesus is with us even in the smallest things. Whatever you are looking to as a source of light in these times of a pandemic, I see this as a useful reminder.

This was the contribution made to highlight the Vatican City Fire Department. Did you know that the Vatican had its own fire department? Neither did I! But I loved how they repurposed this fire bottle.

Rome’s bus service is an experience. Whether it is (rightly IMHO) banging past double and triple-parked cars because the driver can’t continue on their route otherwise— or they are (wrongly) catching on fire while making the rounds, you can’t deny their ubiquity. Here you see that ATAC, the public transport company, references their 64 bus terminus point (the actual line ends at Saint Peter’s Station).

The end of the exhibition had a number of nativity scenes created by youngsters, which I also appreciated after having made one myself for my aunt as a kid. I remember using Elmer’s glue and to stick sawdust from my Dad’s shop on the manger roof to make it look old timey. While my Dad helped cut out the details fo the figurines with his bandsaw, I remember being so proud of what I made. If you look at the wall of this scene, you will see that someone used toilet paper rolls to make each of the characters for their presepe.

We’ve still got a couple of days more before Christmas, and as such I plan on taking many walks to both distract myself and remember the bigger picture. Italy is not a terrible place to do this. I will admit that my favorite presepi are the ones that I stumble upon unexpectedly– like this one that was nestled into some scaffolding on Via della Conciliazione last year. This year— just like last year and probably the next—I am grateful for the small moments that bring a smile to my face. A small pocket of levity and appreciation that in the end will amount to my own little world of celebration.