Early on, we established a bedtime routine with Lucas. Bath, a bit of playtime, a bedtime story, then a song to put him to sleep. Over the years, the routine has varied only a little. Sometimes playtime involves making a tent out of bedsheets, or a tickle fight. Sometimes we read one book and then tell him another story.

Last year, Lucas started asking for the story of his birth, so I would tell him the story, before singing his “Sleepy Song.” In December, I decided to tell him the story of Jesus’ birth.

Lately, we’ve been telling him these two stories almost every night, and I asked that he tell me the story instead. Last night, he decided on the story of Jesus. But he said, “I don’t know the middle part.” So I told him, “Okay, I’ll help you remember.” And this is how the story went.

Important note: Spelling based on what he actually said! And lines in parentheses are from me, prompting him to remember the details.

---

Mama Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehen, to write their names in a book.

(What did they ride to go there? A car?)

They rote their donkey to go there. And then they were very sleepy, and they went to the inn, but the keeper said, “Sorry, we’re full! But you can sleep in the stable.”

(What do you find in the stable? Who sleeps there?)

Mmmm, cats, dogs, alligators, frogs.

(I don’t think they have alligators and frogs. They might have animals that you see on a farm.)

Oh! They have cows, and donkeys, and horses.

(And did they have a bed?)

There was no bed. They sleeped on the grass.

(It was hay. They slept on the hay.)

They slept on the hay. And then Baby Jesus was coming. So Mama Mary said to Joseph, “The baby is coming!” And then baby Jesus came out of Mama Mary’s tummy.

(Did they have a crib?)

They didn’t have a crib. So they put Baby Jesus in a Mason jar.

(Uhm. *giggle* No. Uhm. It was a manger, not a Mason jar.)

They put Baby Jesus in the manger. They put a blanket and they put Baby Jesus there. The End.