The story behind Christmas: Birth of Jesus Christ

Christmas is here and so are the celebrations! This year why not gather your kids around and tell them the story of the birth of Jesus Christ? Let them know the true spirit of the festival, so they celebrate it with more meaning. Here is a simple version of the story you will enjoy narrating to the kids.

Christmas is celebrated every year on December 25th, the day when Jesus was born. This is the story of his birth. 

About 2000 years ago, King Herod ruled Judea, which is now in present-day Israel. A young girl named Mary lived in the town of Nazareth and was engaged to marry Joseph. One day God sent angel Gabriel to Mary, who told her that God had chosen Mary to give birth to a baby boy who will be God’s son. 

Mary said goodbye to her family and friends and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. An angel had told Zechariah that Elizabeth's baby would prepare people to welcome Jesus. He was to be named John. Elizabeth and Zechariah were very happy to have Mary with them. Mary stayed with them for three months and returned home to Nazareth.

An angel came in Joseph’s dream and told him that Mary was chosen by God to bear his child and he should be named Jesus. Joseph and Mary got married to each other. 

Meanwhile, the roman emperor ordered that all people must return to their native place and enter their names in a register for conducting a census. So Mary and Joseph had to travel all the way to Bethlehem. Because Mary was heavily pregnant, they took a lot of time to reach Bethlehem. By the time they reached, all houses and guest rooms were already taken. So they could not find a room to stay in. So they had to stay in a stable with animals. Here, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Jesus’ bed was the manger where animals ate hay. 

After his birth, many angels appeared and lit up the sky. They sang songs telling everyone that a savior had been born in Bethlehem. A group of shepherds in the nearby town saw this, and they decided to go to Bethlehem to see for themselves. 

When Jesus was born, a bright star appeared in the sky. Some learned men in faraway countries saw the star and knew what it meant. They followed the star and reached Jerusalem, the capital of Judea. There they asked around where they could find the child who is born to be the king of Jews. When Herod, the king of Judea heard this., it upset him very much. He sent the wise mean to follow the star and let him know when they found Jesus. He did not tell them of his evil plans of killing Jesus. 

The Wise Men reached the house where Joseph and Mary lived and brought several gifts for the new-born. The Wise Men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they returned home via a different route.

Herod was furious that he had been tricked by the wise men and ordered to kill all boys aged two or younger in Bethlehem and surrounding areas. God appeared in Joseph’s dream to tell him to escape to Egypt as Herod was looking for Jesus. After Herod’s death, Joseph had another dream and he was told to take his family back to Israel.  When Joseph decided to go to Judea, he heard that Herod's son was the new king. So instead he took his family to Galilee and lived in their old town of Nazareth.

Popular customs around Christmas include the Christmas mass and a grand meal. Kids especially love the festival and look forward to decorating the Christmas tree and receiving gifts from Santa Claus or Father Christmas. It is the most important festival for Christians all over the world and celebrates the birth of a savior of humanity. It is time for spending a joyful time with friends and family. 

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