Lots of people have asked me how to find a story. This three-part blog tells the path that brought this book to live.

On December 8, 2025, a book I’ve been working on for over fifteen years, Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs, will launch. I keep pinching myself to be sure it is real and I’m not dreaming.

I don’t remember the first time I thought about, Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs, but I have been working on the manuscript for over fifteen years.

It has been a long time since I heard a person on the bus say to a friend, “Everyone on my Christmas list is getting a hand-me-down.” That started my mind whirling. I already had a story in my mind about giving gifts to Jesus and used that for a Sunday School activity for my students. I also created a short skit for the church. It wasn’t very good.

But that phrase I overheard put it all together. The shepherds who saw the star and the angels and then went to the stable to see the newborn Savior would have kept the experience to themselves. They would have gone home and told their families and friends what happened. I believe women would come to the aid of other women with babies, whether alone or in a group. I don’t know what it was called before, but today we call it a baby shower.

Young children like to be included in parties and to tell stories to babies. At least that has been my experience with my own children and the children of my friends. So what stories would the shepherd children tell the baby?

My research shows that in Biblical times, Hebrew children started learning and memorizing the Torah as soon as they could talk. That fact is disputed among historians, of course, because no one really knows. I decided to use that concept.

Now, I was ready to write, or so I thought.

I drew charts of the family structure I wanted to use. I figured out how the relationships worked. I chose the Bible stories and the gifts to go with those stories. While all that is important, it isn’t writing. Unfortunately, I didn’t make enough time to just write.