The beautiful pictures on Christmas cards do not tell the whole story, or even the right story. The teenager Mary was not betrothed to a man who looked old enough to be her father. The magi who brought their gifts were not kings with crowns on their heads. The charming nativity scene with shepherds and kings in a barn adoring the baby Jesus never happened.
The real story is more mysterious and marvellous than all our cherished memories.
While raising seven children, Steve and Ruth Shelley wrote and directed children's Christmas plays. Over a dozen of these were based on historical incidents, everything from the writing of Handel's "Messiah" to the maiden flight of the Kitty Hawk which happened just before Christmas 1903. Over the years, 30,000 school children and adults have enjoyed watching these historical re-enactments performed entirely by grade school children.
During these years, the unanswered questions of the first Christmas were tackled. How do you reconcile St. Matthew's focus on Joseph and the Magi, and St. Luke's focus on Mary and the shepherds? When did Joseph and Mary get married? Why did the Magi rejoice when they saw the star again after leaving Jerusalem? Where did Mary and Joseph live after the baby was born? The answers to these and many other questions are answered by this creative story that is faithful to the historical narrative.