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There are so many Christmas traditions from around the world that can inspire us in our own celebrations, but there’s one idea that some French families have that is particularly perfect for families with youngsters.
We’ve already shared the idea how some people like to leave their nativity creche empty and move the figures closer to the manger as Christmas Eve approaches — mirroring the Christmas story. However, there’s also another idea that involves sheep and behaving well!
A sheepish journey to the manger
The idea is that each child in the family is given their own sheep (we recommend giving it a name). In the run up to Christmas the sheep moves closer to the manger according to the child’s behavior in the day. The fun aspect is the child sees the impact of their behavior when they wake up the next day to check if their sheep has moved.
Now, as Christmas is a time of joy, the sheep should never take any steps back — even if you’ve had a maddening day with your little ones. They either stay still on a bad day, or move closer to the manger.
As Christmas Day approaches, hopefully the little woolly friend will have nearly completed their journey. Then, on Christmas morning, your child will have behaved so well they will find their sheep standing next to baby Jesus in the manger.
It’s a very sweet idea not only for getting your children to try and behave, but to also really build excitement for the big day itself.
If you’d like further Christmas inspiration from around the world, take a look at these wonderful ideas from Ireland in the slideshow below:
And today we celebrate...