Long, long ago there was a wonderful young girl named Mary. She lived in a city called Nazareth. God was very happy with Mary.

Mary was going to get married to a man named Joseph.

One day God sent his angel Gabriel to tell Mary that she was going to have a very special baby. This baby would be God’s very own son, Jesus!

The Emperor decided that everyone had to go to the place their family came from, so they could count all the people.

Mary and Joseph had to go to a city called Bethlehem.

Joseph walked and Mary rode on a camel. It was a very long trip,

When Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem it was time for baby Jesus to be born.

Joseph went to an Inn, kind of like a hotel. But the Inn keeper said all the rooms were full and they couldn’t stay there.

Joseph went to another Inn, but that Inn keeper said their rooms were all full too, because so many people had come to Bethlehem to be counted.

Finally one Inn keeper said that Mary and Joseph could stay overnight in his stable, where all the animals lived.

There were no beds or chairs or blankets in the stable. There was only hay and a manger that held the food for the animals to eat.

There were probably cows in the stable. There might have been sheep there too.

Goats might have lived in that stable, and maybe even a donkey.

There could have been pigs and chickens in that stable where Mary and Jesus had come to stay over night.

There surely were lots of mice who loved to run around.

And on that night when Mary and Joseph were sleeping in the stable where all those animals lived, baby Jesus was born!

Mary wrapped baby Jesus up very carefully and laid him in that manger.

Not too far away there was a group of shepherds, taking care of their sheep.

God sent an angel to visit the shepherds and tell them that baby Jesus had been born in the stable. The angel told them that baby Jesus is the son of God!

The shepherds went to visit Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus.

There was a beautiful star in the sky, right above the stable where Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus were.

Some wise men came from very far away to see baby Jesus. They followed the star.

The wise men brought baby Jesus very special presents: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Mary and Joseph trusted God and He took care of them.