Traditions: Joshua the Shepherd

Guest Blogger Nicolina shares her family's Christ-centered Christmas tradition, a fun rendition of Elf on the Shelf.

Long before there was a book about elves and shelves, my mother-in-law created an elf.  She used the elf as a tool, and she told her kids, "He's watching you so you better be good".  As a young child my husband would look forward to seeing where the elf moved during the night.  He really tried being good when he was in the same room as the elf.  

A few years ago my husband and I were talking about Christmas traditions, and we decided to spice ours up a bit.  Christmas is a magical time of year.  Young children find that magic to be so real.  We talked about the elf tradition. This was just about the time it was catching on, but we didn't want Christmas to be all about being good for Santa.  Christmas is about being selfless, and I didn’t want our children so focused on being good only so they can get many presents from Santa

One night we were brainstorming, and we came up with Joshua, our Shepherd.  We decided to have a shepherd that would come and remind us to serve each other, to tell us the Christmas story, to give us insight into Bethlehem and who lived there long ago, and to teach us more about the Savior. 

And so every year, once our tree is up, Joshua the Shepherd arrives and we cut a sheep out of construction paper.  He brings "sheep puffs" (aka cotton balls) and every time there is an act of service performed we get to put one puff on the sheep.  Sometimes we have several sheep.  Sometimes we have one big one.  But every year on Christmas Eve, before the birthday of our Lord, Joshua takes the sheep home with him and adds it to his flock.  

 

Like the elf, Joshua moves about the house.  He leaves notes, stories, or scriptures. And we are able to remember the Savior, and the Christmas season.  

This idea will morph as my children age.  He may bring stories to read every day. Perhaps one year he will bring a character out of the Nativity Story each day and we will learn all about that person.  He might leave personalized notes to my children.

We still like Santa, and Santa still visits our house on Christmas day.  But he has become a small part of our Christmas traditions.

After telling my sister-in-law about our tradition she said, "I love it, but I think I'm going to do an angel!"  Then I began thinking… what about a wise man, or a donkey, a sheep, the star, or really anything for the Nativity?

Each year I relearn that Christmas is as good as we make it to be.  I’ve learned this time of year requires effort, love, and service.  And the more I do those things for others, the more I feel the magic of the Christmas season.