Holiday Traditions: Away in a Manger

Some time ago, I read about this family tradition, and it stuck with me. The idea is to create a big, soft bed for baby Jesus. The family gets a manger or baby doll bed and some hay. In order to put a piece of straw in the bed, you have to do something nice for someone anonymously. The family got really into it. Nice little things were happening all over the house; relationships were growing stronger. The kids were learning how good it felt to give, to do for others even if they weren’t being praised. This is a big lesson. Then, on Christmas Eve, they put baby Jesus (or the raggedy doll) in its nice, soft bed made of straw—or all the wonderful deeds of kindness they had done throughout the season. I love this idea and can’t wait until Hayden is old enough to understand it. We will definitely adopt this creative tradition in our household. What neat traditions do you have in your family?