12 Days of Christmas

My son is just getting old enough where I started contemplating family traditions this year for Christmas. I wanted something fun, but also something that tied in with what my husband and I believe Christmas is all about – the birth of Christ. I came across this fun idea at 2cleverblog.com:

Nativity Ring and Run

1. Purchase a 12-piece nativity (preferably one where Baby Jesus is separate – if you can’t find a 12 piece, get something close to that)

2. Choose a family/neighbor that you will anonymously deliver each piece to for the 12 nights before Christmas.

I was wavering on whether Cooper would understand this and/or enjoy doing it when I came across this adorable little nativity set at my local grocery store for only $7.99! I know it’s not the cutest in the world, but it’s also small, which is great for the people receiving it:I purchased 2 so I already have one ready to go for next year.  I found another blog that had the idea of attaching fun poems/stories to go with each nativity piece. So, I created my own. Some are a little lengthy, but they are so fun and really bring the story to life! Check them out here on another post on my blog.

I read the stories/poems with Cooper each night before we delivered the piece. He looked forward to it more than I would’ve imagined! Each night he was excited to try and sneak over to our neighbors. I let him choose between two neighbors across the street, knowing with such an early bedtime, we weren’t going to realistically travel far each night. NOTE: Sneaking with a 2 year old – NOT the easiest. I think we made it maybe 3 nights before we were unofficially discovered. Then, maybe on the 5th or 6th night, the 2nd grade girl opened the door as we were crossing the street! We hadn’t even made it to the door yet. I think their dog helped give us away. =) It was just as fun, though, as they anticipated our delivery each night. Another fun outcome of this tradition? Our neighbors are going to use the same nativity to pass on the tradition to someone else next year. They even kept all the poems/stories to deliver with them.

One final note…our nativity set only had 11 pieces, and the tradition called for 12 nights. So, we still delivered the story, but instead of a nativity piece, we delivered a plate of cookies. Who wouldn’t love that? ;)

I know Cooper will look forward to this tradition next year, now the trick will be to keep it a secret from the mysterious house! Here’s Cooper with the tiny package, ready to deliver to our neighbors:

Happy Traditions!