The Little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head

By Mickie Ferrante
When our sons were little I covered a large shoe box with contact paper that looked like wood. Each time one of the boys did "a good Christian deed," they wrote it on a small piece of paper and we put it into the shoe box under the Christmas tree. Then on Christmas morning that was the bed for Baby Jesus. Their good deeds made his bed soft. As the boys got older they helped their dad make a wooden manger to hold the "good deeds" I am not sure who has that manger now, but over the years, it was filled with many a slip of paper scrawled with the sweet hands of four little boys.

Editor's comment: What an awesome substitution for threatening that Santa is watching so ya better be good or he'll put you on his naughty list. Turn the whole thing on its head to say, "We need baby Jesus to have a warm, fluffy bed. Let's fill that manger high...." Did you ever try to get them to catch you doing a good deed too, Mom?