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The Spirit of Christmas Good Deed Manger Activity

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This Good Deed Manger Activity has been one of my children’s favorite Christmas traditions.

To get into the spirit of Christmas, here’s a fun activity for your children.

It involves good deeds without recognition–the reward is putting a piece of hay in the manger that awaits Jesus’ arrival!

I love that it makes the focus more about the giving than the receiving by highlighting a good deed daily and treating others with kindness.

It all begins weeks before Christmas with an empty manager.

Good Deed Manger

 

A Good Deed Manger is a Christmas activity that helps children understand the importance of good deeds and acts of kindness, without the need for credit.  

It’s a family activity that begins with an empty manger.

Start on the first day of Advent.

As children and family members do good deeds for one another, and neighbors, they earn pieces of hay to help prepare the manager for Jesus’ arrival.

Do a good deed, place a piece of hay in the manger.

By the end of Advent, the manger should be laid with hay and comfortable for the arrival of the new Baby Jesus on Christmas morning.

Feel free to use the templates here, or use something else as the manger–cardboard, a shoebox, anything.

The manger Jesus was born in was made of stone–so anything works here.

It’s the holiday tradition as told in the bible when Mary places baby Jesus in the manger.

It’s an activity that demonstrates how rewarding it can be to follow Christ’s example.

There is no better gift to give our children than teaching them service to others and kindness.

Good Deed Manger Activity

You will need:

Manger  template printed on cardstock–color if you like

hay or yarn or shredded paper
 
Baby Jesus–you can cut out the one below (we use one of those babies for baby shower favors that I have wrapped in “swaddling clothes”)

Poem (pdf below or print the card above)

Good Deed Manger

To assemble the manger:

Cut out pieces (3).
 
Fold along dotted lines (I’ve pointed to them with arrows to make it easier) on the two side pieces and main piece.

Glue the side pieces to the main pieces

Manger Template below:

good deed manger template

Baby Jesus:

baby jesus for good deed manger

The Good Deeds Manager:

The good deeds manger is an interactive nativity set that helps teach us the true meaning of Christmas.

Through your good deeds and selfless acts of kindness, each family member will earn straw, so on Christmas morning baby Jesus is asleep in the hay.

Bring Christ back into Christmas by serving others and using this scene of his birth to encourage your entire family to love thy neighbor.

 

 
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About Julee: Julee Morrison is an experienced author with 35 years of expertise in parenting and recipes. She is the author of four cookbooks: The Instant Pot College Cookbook, The How-To Cookbook for Teens, The Complete Cookbook for Teens, and The Complete College Cookbook. Julee is passionate about baking, crystals, reading, and family. Her writing has appeared in The LA Times (Bon Jovi Obsession Goes Global), Disney's Family Fun Magazine (August 2010, July 2009, September 2008), and My Family Gave Up Television (page 92, Disney Family Fun August 2010). Her great ideas have been featured in Disney's Family Fun (Page 80, September 2008) and the Write for Charity book From the Heart (May 2010). Julee's work has also been published in Weight Watchers Magazine, All You Magazine (Jan. 2011, February 2011, June 2013), Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine (Oct. 2011), Red River Family Magazine (Jan. 2011), BonAppetit.com, and more. Notably, her article "My Toddler Stood on Elvis' Grave and Scaled Over Boulders to Get to a Dinosaur" made AP News, and "The Sly Way I Cured My Child's Lying Habit" was featured on PopSugar. When she's not writing, Julee enjoys spending time with her family and exploring new baking recipes.
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