THE SMELL OF CHRISTMAS
(Saturday) LONDON (AP) -- Bishop Lindsay Urwin of Horsham is urging his clergy to bring buckets of manure into church to remind people that Jesus was born in a stable.

Explaining the idea, Urwin said the strong aroma would remind worshippers that Jesus gave his life to clear up the mess people make of their lives. And, he added, it might discourage any objections to use of incense in Christmas services.

"The incense -- a symbol of divinity -- together with the smell of manure represents the paradox of the incarnation," he told the Church Times newspaper.

Urwin said a priest suggested the idea during a meeting to discuss ways of "bringing the old, old (Christmas) story to life." Link

I'll have to think about this. I did do a sermon once on the smell of Christmas -- although it was actually about the arrival of the Magi. To make the point I burned a lot of frankincense (the Orthodox readers are now rolling their eyes -- "How original."). But manure might be the wave of the future.