This post is part of a new series all about making memories with our children. If you missed the introduction and explanation of why we think traditions are important for family life, then you can find it here.
Shepherd’s Supper
Every Christmas Eve we host a Shepherd’s Supper. This idea was pinched and modified from Sally Clarkson’s Life Giving Table
Our Shepherd’s Supper is a time of reflection before the excitement and busyness of Christmas day.
We make middle eastern food (usually a leg of lamb, hummus, flat bread and Lebanese salads) and eat a candlelit dinner as a family with some other guests from our church. Interspersed with the food are Bible readings about the incarnation, read aloud by some of our church guests. We often use three stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible – the Nativity, the story of the shepherds and the story of the wise men. As the evening continues we move from the table to the living room where we sit cross legged on rugs; we eat baklava and dates at this point, and may have a brief time of prayer.
The idea of the Shepherds supper is three-fold,
- to create an immersive experience whereby we can imagine what it would have felt like to be the shepherds watching their flocks at night – hopefully creating an atmosphere of worship and awe
- to do something special commemorating the arrival of Jesus, in a way which might compete for the children’s attention and excitement
- to eat delicious food and reflect on my own time living in the Middle East as a teenager – I love getting out the camel rugs and Arabian ornaments. I think it’s important for our children to know that their mum spent some of her childhood living in Dubai.
Top tip:
To keep the atmosphere serene and reflective, it can be a good idea to outnumber the children with adults.
More ideas:
It can be fun to wrap up and step outside to gaze up at the stars, this can help with imagining how the shepherds might have felt. We haven’t been brave enough to do this yet, but when the children are older it would be fun to sit outside with hot drinks and a fire, and maybe even have a time of song.
If you’ve enjoyed this post watch out for more tradition ideas coming your way:
- An annual family day
- Light Party
- Boys/Girls Weekend
FYI – I don’t usually cook Christmas dinner, often we go to either of our parents house for Christmas dinner. Otherwise a Shepherd’s supper would feel too overwhelming the day before Christmas!
Sally Clarkson’s Shepherd’s supper prioritises simplicity – she shares a recipe for a simple potato soup as the Shepherd’s would have eaten simple food. Simple food the day before Christmas definitely makes it more manageable, especially if you’re hosting on Christmas day. The focus is more on reflecting on Jesus than an elaborate feast.
It’s a tradition not a law – this year we are doing a low key Shepherd’s supper because Christmas falls on a Monday which actually makes it a more busy Christmas.
On Saturday the 23rd we have Scott’s work do, on the 24th we have church at 3pm because it falls on a Sunday this year, and then we’ve got church again at 10am on Christmas day. So, we plan to do a Shepherd’s Supper at lunch time on Christmas Eve. It won’t be dark outside and we won’t be inviting many guests this year, just one. We’ll try and do the Bible readings and eat some food – middle eastern if I can manage it. Good job hummus and flat bread are easy to buy from the shop! Hopefully we can get back to a more atmospheric Shepherd’s supper next year because it’s a special event in our calendar and something that our children really love – which is kind of the whole point!
What traditions do you have the day before Christmas to point your children towards Jesus? Please share them in the comments – I’d love to know.