Christmas Countdown Day 16 focused on cloth. When Jesus was born, Mary wrapped Him in strips of cloth and lay Him in a manger. Newborn babies often love to be swaddled and wrapped tightly in a blanket so they feel warm and secure. They want to be snuggled and held close. Mary lovingly swaddled her precious baby boy, kissed his sweet cheek, and lay him gently in the manger hay, because there was no room for them that night in the inn. God holds us that way, too. We often need to feel His love wrapped around us tightly, to know we are safe. God surrounds us with his blankets of forgiveness and grace, telling us that it will be okay and we can rest in Him. As we thought about the strips of cloth that were placed around baby Jesus, Lauren and Jackson practiced swaddling baby dolls to see how Mary might have done it. Then, to really put ourselves in the story, Matt swaddled each kid in a big blanket, so they could see what it felt like. Then we scooped them up and sang “Jesus loves me” while rocking them.