Tradition!

This time of year brings lots of traditions. Being in a family that owns a ChristmasTree Farm it often leaves little time for some of the usual family traditions. I always say we are busy being a part of over a thousand different family traditions as we help get them find the perfect Christmas tree, get their family photo by the reindeer, go for a sleigh ride, and eat their cut out Christmas cookie and hot cider.

One tradition we do with our children is read a Christmas book each evening before bed. We have collected quite the Christmas book library over the past 5 years. I wanted to share with you two of my favorite Christmas books.

The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado

Joshua was a sad spotted lamb who had no parents and felt left out. He was born with one leg that didn’t work right. Abigail the cow was his best friend. When Joshua would get sad Abigail would tell him “God has a special place for those who feel left out.” Sometimes the other lambs were not nice to him. The lambs were going to move to greener pastures with their shepherd. The Shepard told Joshua he had better go back to the stable; he did not think he could make the trip.  

Joshua fell asleep in the stable but was suddenly woken up by a strange noise. Joshua woke up Abigail and said he was scared. Someone was in the stable. They looked across and found a young woman with a baby resting in a feed box. The baby was crying and he was cold. Joshua lay with the baby to keep him warm. This little baby was the new king, his name was Jesus. Joshua had been born with a crippled leg but born with a very special purpose. “God had a very special place for him.”

On This Special Night by Claire Freedman

This is a story about a little kitten who could not sleep because the stars were so bright especially one star in particular. Throughout the night a donkey, lamb, three mice, calf stopped in for food water and rest. They said they were on a very special journey following a bright star. The little kitten and its mother decided to follow their new friends. They ended up in a simple stable where they found a very special baby.