Students are ‘earning straw’ this Advent at SMS

SWORMVILLE — The liturgical season of Advent began on Dec. 3, and will continue until Dec. 24.  As we prepare for Christmas and the birth of Jesus, we want to focus on preparing our hearts to receive Him. We can prepare for Jesus by showing love toward others, and performing acts of kindness and good deeds for those around us.

St. Mary School students have been doing just that this Advent season, and keeping track of the good deeds they perform with “straw.” As part of a project done in conjunction with the Faith Formation staff at St. Mary’s and the St. Mary School HSA students have taken inspiration from the book, “The Giving Manger,” by Allison Hottinger. The book begins with a father telling his children that Christmas will be a little different this year. Instead of waiting for gifts under the tree, this year they’ll offer gifts to Jesus by serving and helping others. Though the children are unsure at first, they soon find joy in serving, and see others respond with excitement too. With each act of service, they add a piece of straw to the manger, preparing a place for Jesus to lay on Christmas morning. 

A  letter was sent home to all school families explaining the project, as well strips of yellow and brown paper representing straw. When a child performs a good deed or sacrifices something for Jesus at home, a parent can write their name on the strip of paper and initial it. The students then bring the completed strips to school, and place them in our “giving manger.” The teachers have also been looking out for good deeds performed at school, and giving out straw to students. Over time, they are filling the manger in preparation for Jesus’ birth. The goal is for the manger to be filled by the time Christmas break starts on Dec. 22.

Below are some examples of straw-worthy deeds SMS students have completed at home or in school:

• Picking up toys without being told, or putting something that is out of place where it belongs
• Sharing something you really don’t feel like sharing
• Helping someone with a job that is their job and not yours
• Asking Mom if there’s anything you can do to help her
• Obeying Mom or Dad the first time you are told
• Playing with someone on the playground who is alone or maybe lonely
• Being especially kind to a sibling or friend who is having a hard day
• Saying hello and waving to a neighbor, even if you feel a little embarrassed
• Spending extra time in prayer
• Going to Confession (for those old enough)

And not only is the straw in the giving manger special, but the manger itself is as well. The sweet little wooden manger you see in the photos below was handmade by Al Turton, the father of John Turton, the head of Maintenance at St. Mary School.