In Sardinia, a few days before Christmas the shepherds would return home after their long transhumance, waiting for them were their wives and children, now grown too fast without their father's presence. Beyond this, the return and presence of the father of the family constituted the most important moment, both familial and for the entire country (since agro-pastoral work was the most common). The 24th was the night of the eve, the "Nott'e xena," and the family gathered around the warmth emanating from the fire in the fireplace, while before their eyes burned a large log that was lit on the very day of the eve and extinguished on the day of the epiphany. The goal was to warm the baby Jesus, and according to legend, the family's meticulousness in caring for the stump would bring good luck in the following year. The eve of Christmas Day in Sardinia was also the time of tales and legends that the elders used to tell the younger ones, with the enjoyment of typical products for a wonderful dinner that then over the years took on a value even equivalent to that of Christmas lunch.