Hark the herald angels kvetch

Back in Beijing, we had a small creche set on our coffee table that, of course, Brigid could not keep from touching. She liked to rearrange them from the traditional tableaux, preferring to pair them up by like sizes. Mary would be matched to a kneeling king, and another king with St. Joseph.

It made them all look like they were huddled in private conversations. For some reason, the angel discussing something with this king reminded me of a scene I would often see played out when I worked. He appears to be patiently listening while the angel airs frustrations.