21 Days- Family of Shepherds

Last night we made our acting debut as a family. That's right. Jared and I, and even little Granty, were all shepherds in the ward Christmas program. Our role consisted of walking out onto the stage and basically creating ambiance. No, we didn't have any lines (Jared was just holding the mic for Mary after her solo), but we were a pretty big deal nonetheless. 

This isn't a very good picture, but I love it anyway simply because Grant is dressed up like a little shepherd! Seriously. How cute is that? It was pretty silly, but it's a reminder to me that I really do want my baby to be a seeker of Christ, and to want to be the kind of shepherd the Savior was. It reminds me of the important Christmas traditions I want to establish with my family. I definitely don't plan on dressing as a shepherd every year, but I do want the Savior to be our focus.

I'm really excited about the First Presidency Christmas Devotional this Sunday to really set the tone for the rest of the month. In an attempt to maintain the focus, we're going to start the tradition of having our own family devotional sometime later in the month. Kind of a special style Family Home Evening (better start now while Grant is too young to contest it). We don't want this to be a yearly repeated message , but a chance to prepare something new and special. lds.org has tons of great resources--talks, media items, a special fhe lesson, etc. compiled into a Christmas Topic Page. If you're looking for ways to focus on the Savior this Season, check this out! I spent just an hour today browsing through the ideas and talks and felt a rush of true Christmas spirit.

Just to give you a little taste, check out this cute little VIDEO of Kids' thoughts about Christmas. As the little Shepherd Grant proves, you're never too young to focus on the real meaning of Christmas.