Last year I bemoaned the fact that you never see chickens at a Christmas manger scene. Oh sure you see donkeys, camels, and (quite) a few sheep, maybe even a dog or two, but you never see chickens.
Which I thought to be a bit odd because surely they had chickens over there in Bethlehem, after all, chickens not only give eggs but they are a handy one-sized family meal. I had then theorized that perhaps the rooster had crowed throughout night with all of the activity going on and as a result had contributed greatly to the breakfast served the next morning (ensuring peace on earth for the new mother and child), but that still didn’t explain the lack of hens.
I tired to remedy this in my own little way:
Doesn’t really work well for long, as the hay eventually gets pecked all over the room.
As my backup plan this year, I’m on the lookout for manger scenes that include chickens. A good friend of ours (hi Jackie!) posted this photo of her Fontanini set which does include a chicken. In tribute to our ongoing discussion, she placed the little hen right near the seat of honor.
Doesn’t get much better than that.
If any of you on your travels this season come across a manger scene that includes chickens, please, please take a photo of it and send it to me. I’d love to tell my girls that they had been represented on the big day.
