Lose sight of the meaning of Christmas in the rush of the season?

"And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent..." -- Taylor Caldwell

Christmas animation video brings back the meaning to the holidays.

For that reason, I wanted to capture the spirit of Christmas. In my mind, I envisioned a nativity art scene set in the desert with Mary, Joseph, and the wise men silhouetted by the night sky.

I grew up with a beautiful nativity set my mom set out every December. As a little girl, I played with all the animals, talked to baby Jesus, and moved the wise men through their travels. So naturally, I thought of them with my idea. A few years ago, I asked my mom if I could borrow the nativity characters for a day or two.

And crazy enough, we traveled about four hours to the border of Arizona and California to the Imperial Sand Dunes to create the scene. For more of the story, and the little scares along the way, check out my Journal on my website, https://annstracts.com/journal.

I was ultimately pleased with the photo, and it makes such a beautiful fine art print to set the mood. You can see it in my Abstract Digital Art gallery. But I decided I'd like to put this scene in motion. Enjoy the twinkling stars and peaceful guitar rendition of "Silent Night" by Julyan Brynn as you contemplate the true spirit of Christmas.