I was listening to The Little Drummer Boy and I thought it was weird that he said Jesus was a poor boy. Joseph was presumably a successful carpenter, or else we wouldn’t still be talking about him as a carpenter now. They didn’t stay in the stable because they were poor, they stayed because they got there after all the guest rooms were full. So I got to thinking what really happened on that trip?
Mary was really pregnant at that point, she was probably nesting, and doing the thing all moms do before a trip, cleaning up. Joseph was probably outside jiggling his knee like dads do when they have an itinerary that is getting thrown off, and he calls Mary and says something like, “we are going to have to shave time off some of our rest stops if you don’t hurry, why are you doing laundry anyway? It will still be there when we get home.” And I am sure Mary responded with something like “you were not so worried about leaving on time when you waited until this morning to pack. You know how bad this would smell when we get back? No thank you sir.” And he would probably smile and shake his head because relationship goals. She’d be inside picking up the dirty clothes he threw on the floor this morning while he was packing and shake her head and smile too.
Sure enough, they leave behind schedule and Joseph is a little frustrated, as dads are on trips. But he isn’t too worried because it never occurs to either of them that there might be no rooms in Bethlehem when they get there. No one had ever done a census like this so no one knew what to expect.
I assume that they made their way slowly but surely, Joseph coaxing Mary along with the promise of footrubs, the whole way. When they get there, though, they realize their predicament.
They stop and ask for a room in every place they see, and are turned away, like the story says. Finally some minimum wage desk clerk tells them about the stable out back, and asks them not to tell his manager if they get caught. The rest is history.
fluffymankillr 