What do you think of when you hear the word Christmas? My mind immediately fills with images of Christmas trees lit up with pretty lights, presents, family and holiday treats. But what does Christmas mean? Why do we celebrate it? Today we examine the official story behind Christmas.
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 to mark the birth of Jesus. Legend has it he was born to the Virgin Mary. She was engaged to be married to Joseph who was a Jewish carpenter. One day, Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. This upset Joseph and his first reaction was to break their engagement. But he had a dream that getting married to Mary was God’s will. The angel in the dream told him that she was not unfaithful and baby came from the Holy Spirit.
Mary and Joseph were required to travel to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. The inn was very crowded and Mary ended up giving birth in a crude stable surrounded by farm animals. She wrapped baby Jesus in clothes and put him in a manger. Soon after the birth, an angel appeared to announce that the savior was born. Shepherds and Magi (astrologers) came to see Jesus bringing gifts such as gold. They found him by following the Star of Bethlehem. Jesus was known as the King of the Jews.
Another important point is that we do not know Jesus’ exacted birthdates so December 25 was selected to represent nine months after Jesus was conceived. For more information, please visit:
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/christmasstory.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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