Segways and selfies… an alternative Christmas tale

nativity5Joseph, resplendent with a man bun, snaps a selfie to capture latte-holding Mary pulling a duck-face in front of the manger.

The wise men arrive on segways holding Amazon Prime parcels, while an organic cow munches gluten-free feed outside the stable.

The shepherd streams it all via social media to mark the momentous occasion.

Huh? Not quite the traditional story we’re used to.

Today I spotted a new take on the nativity and thought I’d share it with you.

It comes courtesy of Modern Nativity and is a firmly tongue-in-cheek take on the most important story ever told.

Dubbed the Hipster Nativity Set, it features hand painted polyresin 7″ tall figurines depicting a 2016 version of the nativity.

The creators say: “It wouldn’t be a modern-day birth if at least one person wasn’t putting it on Instagram, and luckily, our teenage shepherd has it covered #babyjesus #nofilter. Next to him are some well taken care of animals. If you’ve ever wondered what the very first family Christmas photo looked like, wonder no longer.

“Fresh off a Whole Foods shopping spree, Joseph is rocking his man bun and finest denim shirt, It may not be the Ritz Carlton, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some cool amenities. Actually, all it has is a solar-powered roof, but at least they’re helping to solve global warming.”

Let’s take a closer look…

Hipster Nativity Set from Allison Baker on Vimeo.

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Revitalising storytelling

We’re always looking for fresh ways to tell stories in our organisations. Are you stuck in a rut with tired descriptions and the same old phrasing?

How could you create a new take on a well-known tale in your organisation?

I’m curious to see whether this new version of the nativity resonates. Arguably you don’t need to modernise this story!

What do the church think? We’ll I’ve shared it with my brother, who is a CofE Vicar here in the UK, so know his views.

Christmas comms guideI think if this set gets people thinking about the real reason we celebrate Christmas, Jesus’ birth, that’s a good thing.

As a Christian, I’m not sure how I feel about all the elements, but focusing conversations to the real reason for the season works for me.

If you’re planning Christmas comms, don’t forget to check out my Christmas Comms Guide.

I’ll also be publishing a guest post a day between 1-25 December as part of my Advent series. We’ll be looking back at 2016 and highlighting some of the stories professional communicators have shared via the All Things IC blog.

Boost your comms skills
If you’d like help with storytelling, sign up for an All Things IC Writing Skills Masterclass on 22 February 2017.

Helen Deverell @helendeverell is leading it and I’m attending. See the Masterclasses website to find out more and book.

All Things IC MasterclassesIt’s deliberately small (up to 10 people) to encourage attendees to share their writing experiences with each other, work on exercises together and to build confidence, enabling them to take the skills they’ve learnt back to the office and start using them straight away.

It costs £399+VAT per person. Save your space today via the Masterclasses website, where you can also search upcoming internal comms courses.

Bookings are open now for upcoming courses. They include:

If you work for a nonprofit organisation, contact me to get your exclusive 20 per cent off discount code.

Do let me know what you think of the modern nativity, you can comment below or find me on Twitter @AllthingsIC.

Thank you for stopping by,

Rachel.

Post author: Rachel Miller

First published on the All Things IC blog 24 November 2016.

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