Every year as Christmas nears, Britt Whitt of Meeteetse gets a call from the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints looking to borrow a donkey, some sheep and a couple of her cutest cows for its annual live nativity scene.

But this year, the call never came. Turns out the church decided to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Whitt understood, but the mobile veterinarian was concerned the live nativity would be missed.

“I was really excited going into Christmas this year. And then I kind of started like, losing it,” she explained.

It’s a common feeling this year. Travel is discouraged and many events have been canceled in favor of social distancing, Whitt said. “It’s been a rough year on a lot of people.”

In a discussion with her husband, Hayes Randol, she told him, “you’re gonna think I’m crazy.”

“He looked at me and said, ‘Why now?’” she reminisced Sunday as she straightened the star and scratched the head of William Wallace, her favorite Highland bull.

Whitt decided it was up to her to give the community a holiday lift by building the nativity on her property adjacent to Lower Sunshine Reservoir. She quickly found there’s a lot more to building the project than simply putting baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph in a manger and spreading out some hay and cookies to keep the critters happy.

She called a few friends in the neighborhood and quickly enlisted help. “I didn’t call a single person with my crazy little vision that didn’t just immediately jump in to say, yeah, we’ll come help,” Whitt said.

After a short conversation with Whitt, neighbor Kevin Cooley, director of Cowboys with a Mission, offered to make a large star for the top of the display. He spent a couple days on the project, having made one before. He felt helping was important because of the message.

“I’m happy to do anything I can do to bring recognition to Jesus Christ,” Cooley said. “That’s what I love doing.”

Many other neighbors and area businesses pitched in to help get the project off the ground.

Whitt then began inviting all who were looking for a lift of their spirits to come over, free of charge, to spend time contemplating the true meaning of Christmas while enjoying family friendly livestock like William (who loves a good scratch), Tippy the geriatric sheep and Happy the miniature jack donkey.

Happy was one of Whitt’s daughter’s Christmas presents years ago.

“I brought him in the house and put a big bow on him next to the tree — the whole 9 yards,” Whitt said while feeding the donkey a couple cookies. Whitt’s then 2-year-old daughter “didn’t talk much at that point,” she recalled. “All she would do was clap her hands while saying ‘happy, happy, happy.’ So he’s Happy.”

The live nativity was scheduled to begin Saturday, but Mother Nature had other plans. A big wind blew in and collapsed the display. “I was in tears,” Whitt said.

Sunday she spent the day rebuilding the nativity scene with her stepson, Cooper Randol, and chasing some of her cows back into a nearby field. (The Meeteetse couple shares five kids: Eila, 2, Della, 3, Cort, 7, Bandie, 9 and Cooper, 16.)

As the sun began to set, the lights on the display began to glow — revealing Whitt’s vision to folks on the road and those willing to head down her drive for a close up look and some hot chocolate.

She hopes people will come and spend time with the animals, who are very good with human interactions. The display will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. through Christmas Eve at 753 Wyo. Highway 290.

While not necessary, she did put a bucket out for donations. All proceeds will go to the Meeteetse Senior Center. It’s part of Whitt’s Christmas message of kindness.

“There’s so much stuff going on. And it’s so easy right now to feel divisive. It’s a really interesting climate that we’re living in right now,” she said. “Just be kind. Treat everybody like you would treat your grandma.”