Holy Walk

The church where Ethan attends preschool puts on a really neat Christmas event, the Holy Walk Through Bethlehem. The description of the event from their flier sounded really interesting: Travel back in time 2000 years and experience an interactive journey to the little town of Bethlehem. Along the way, in the company of Roman guards, you will be greeted by shepherds tending their flocks, turned away by an innkeeper, questioned by wise men from distant kingdoms, and interact with store keepers in a bustling marketplace. All ages will enjoy experiencing a choir of angels before arriving at the manger to behold the newborn babe.
We decided to take the boys to see what it was like, and we're really glad that we did. The church did a fantastic job making the nativity story come to life, and Ethan loved it! We traveled along a path outside in a small group accompanied by three characters in costume who told us that we were part of a family returning to Bethlehem to be taxed and counted for the census as ordered by Caesar. We stopped at different points to hear trumpeting and an angel choir, to be taxed and each get our papers, to encounter Roman guards twice, to get our papers stamped, to talk with shepherds, to visit a marketplace complete with vendors of all sorts of wares, sheep, goats, and a rabbit, to talk with wisemen, to be shown to the manger by an innkeeper, and finally to see Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. We plan to make it a family tradition to go each year.
Flash photography was not permitted during our "journey", but we were able to take a couple of pictures inside while we waited our turn to go on the walk. There was a tent, people in costume, and instruments in the lobby that Ethan enjoyed.