--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A barn with cattle and horses is the…" description: "\"A barn with cattle and horses is the place to begin Christmas; after all, that's where the original event happened, and that same smell was the first a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f71/paul-engle-16507_air_a-barn-with-cattle-and-horses-is-the-pla_3151929.jpg" --- # A barn with cattle and horses is the place to begin… ![“A barn with cattle and horses is the place to begin Christmas; after all, that's where the original event happened, and that same smell was the first air that the Christ Child breathed.” quote by Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f71/paul-engle-16507_air_a-barn-with-cattle-and-horses-is-the-pla_3151929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f71/paul-engle-16507_air_a-barn-with-cattle-and-horses-is-the-pla_3151929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f71/paul-engle-16507_air_a-barn-with-cattle-and-horses-is-the-pla_3151929.jpg) > “A barn with cattle and horses is the place to begin Christmas; after all, that's where the original event happened, and that same smell was the first air that the Christ Child breathed.” [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote links the nativity setting to a barn, suggesting the original scent of the Christ Child was the barn air. **In simple terms:** Christmas origins are tied to a barn where the baby Jesus was born. Key Takeaway Remember humble beginnings of traditions. Themes tradition humility origin faith Mood nostalgic reflective Type cultural narrative When to use this quote - holiday decorations - family gatherings - religious services - storytelling Key Concepts symbolic setting historical context sensory memory Questions to Reflect On - Why do we associate specific scents with sacred events? - How does setting influence our perception of tradition? A Different Perspective May romanticize historical accuracy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ## Related quotes > [“Moonless darkness stands between. Past, the Past, no more be seen! But the Bethlehem-star may lead me To the sight of Him Who freed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-manley-hopkins/moonless-darkness-stands-between-past-the-past-no-more-be-seen-but/) [Gerard Manley Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-manley-hopkins/) > [You need to have a home to go back to, whether it's a hotel room or a barn. It's only home when he's there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-gorder/you-need-to-have-a-home-to-go-back-to-whether-it-s-a-hotel-room-or-a/) [Genevieve Gorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-gorder/) > [The barn where I work, it's only 15 minutes or so from Harvard square, so It's very close to the center of Boston, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/the-barn-where-i-work-it-s-only-15-minutes-or-so-from-harvard-square/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [We need a barn or one of those storage areas for the Broken vehicles." "A garage?" He gave her a short nod. "A private,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/we-need-a-barn-or-one-of-those-storage-areas-for-the-broken-vehicles/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [One of the things I like most of all is being in my study, in my barn, with absolutely no sound anywhere thinking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/one-of-the-things-i-like-most-of-all-is-being-in-my-study-in-my-barn/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [“Do not let any sweet-talking woman beguile your good sense with the fascination of her shape. It's your barn she's after.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/do-not-let-any-sweet-talking-woman-beguile-your-good-sense-with-the/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [I like a man who likes to see a fine barn as well as a good tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-like-a-man-who-likes-to-see-a-fine-barn-as-well-as-a-good-tragedy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It’s what you sow that multiplies, not what you keep in the barn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/it-s-what-you-sow-that-multiplies-not-what-you-keep-in-the-barn/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [But I shall like my battle. This sort of day puts one in mood for it. 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You are the baby in the barn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/you-are-the-one-solid-the-spaces-lean-on-envious-you-are-the-baby-in/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## More by Paul Engle > [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-nth-power/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [Corncobs are the greatest fire-making tinder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/corncobs-are-the-greatest-fire-making-tinder/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the "N th" power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-n-th-power/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [I had been warned about Jews by my gentile friends - they did terrible things with knives to boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-had-been-warned-about-jews-by-my-gentile-friends-they-did-terrible/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [Every Christmas should begin with the sound of bells, and when I was a child mine always did. 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I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/when-i-took-over-the-writers-workshop-it-was-one-little-class-and/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [I grew up in the prolonged survival of the great age of the horse, with harness and saddle and sleigh bells and horse pictures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-grew-up-in-the-prolonged-survival-of-the-great-age-of-the-horse/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [Soldiers of the American Revolution fought that 18th century war with heavy muskets. In the early 20th century, we kids fought it every Fourth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/soldiers-of-the-american-revolution-fought-that-18th-century-war-with/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of time. 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But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. 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