The Inside Story of “A Manger, Some Straw, and a Toddler” 

Passing along family traditions to my children and grandchildren is near to my heart.

However, even more important to me is passing along my legacy of faith.

I came to faith in Jesus as a young wife and the mother of a baby and a toddler. As a new believer, I was eager to learn all I could about the Bible, and my heart’s desire was to teach my children the wonderful things I was learning. Christmas became even more special as I began to understand in a new way the amazing gift God gave us when He sent Jesus into the world.

However, I soon noticed that the world was increasingly becoming more focused on anything but Christ.

When my children were still preschoolers, I realized the challenge my husband and I faced in trying to keep the real meaning of Christmas before our family. I began to actively look for ways to ensure that Jesus would always be the focal point of Christmas in our home.

I don’t recall if our new traditions were original ideas or ones I’d read or heard about—most likely they were the result of a merging of ideas. But soon, our family began several practices that were meant to keep our thoughts and celebrations centered on Jesus.

Two examples of things we did were purchasing gifts for children who would otherwise not receive any and praying for people on our advent calendar. In each case, our goal was to move our focus from, “What’s in it for me?” to “How can I bless others?”

Another tradition involves our beloved nativity scene, which was lovingly made for us by a dear friend.

“A Manger, Some Straw, and a Toddler,” my story in Christmas with Hot Apple Cider, recounts the Christmas just after our grandson, Jacob, had celebrated his first birthday. This was the season when he began to be aware of the coloured lights, the gifts under the fragrant, prickly tree, and the interesting decorations. I always place the fun musical and touchable ornaments on the bottom branches so the children can grab the soft snowmen and ring the shiny bells. And that year our little grandson took it all in.

When Jacob showed a curiosity in our family’s nativity scene, I took the opportunity to share a tradition we had begun when our children were not much older than this dear little boy. However, as often happens when children are involved, my lesson didn’t go exactly as planned. But the twist simply made the tradition, and the memory, all the more dear.

To find out what happened, you’ll have to read my story in the book, Christmas with Hot Apple Cider.

As you juggle the realities of living in this world with the challenges of keeping Christ in Christmas, I hope you’ll be blessed by my story, and maybe even incorporate a new tradition into your celebration.

Ann Brent is passionate about getting God’s Word and His message of salvation through Jesus to as many people as possible. In her 25-plus years working in Christian missions, Ann has written countless articles to inform, inspire, and encourage people with how God is at work around the world today. She also has two stories—“My Mother’s Gift” and “Visual Gymnastics”— in A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. Ann is determined to face life’s challenges and changes through the filters of faith, laughter, and optimism. She lives in southwestern Ontario.

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