My daddy told me that Christmas is all about Good News. I love to tell good news. When my teacher gave me a note to take home that said, “Amy is improving about talking too much in class,” I ran all the way home ‘cause I knew that would be good news for my parents.
Daddy said that really was good news, but the Christmas Good News is even better—that you came to the world from heaven to be our Savior. Then he told me about the first Christmas when Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem and there wasn’t room for them anywhere, so they had to sleep in a stable with the animals.
Daddy said that when you were born, they laid you in a manger, and that’s a trough for the animals’ food. He said there were shepherds that came to see you, and angels above the stable, singing “Joy to the world, the Lord has come,” and some wise men, following a star, who came and brought you presents. I wondered what you did with those presents ‘cause they didn’t sound like babies’ toys to me.
In our Christmas program at church, I wore my new red dress, and we sang about the baby, away in a manger. The song said the cattle were lowing, and I don’t know what that means, but I bet it was loud ‘cause the baby woke up, but he didn’t cry. My daddy has told me stories about miracles you did, and this must have been one of them ‘cause when my mama brought my baby brother home from the hospital, he cried all night long, and we didn’t even have any cattle lowing.
Daddy said Christmas is for celebrating your birthday. He said we get presents to remind us that you are God’s Son and his present to the world. He said when you grew up, some mean people beat you with a whip and nailed you to a cross to die for all our sins, even the ones of the mean people who killed you, and three days later, you came back to life, just like you had promised, and then you went back to heaven, and because of that, when we ask you to forgive our sins, we get to come to heaven after we die to be with you forever and ever. Thank you, dear Jesus, for that Good News.
My mama says that lots of people don’t want to celebrate your birthday at Christmas or don’t take time to. They’re too busy with other stuff to sing “Joy to the World, the Lord has come” or to worship you. It’s kinda’ like when you were born, and they didn’t have room for you. But that’s not me! I’ll have room for you in my heart forever and ever.
Happy Birthday, dear Jesus!
Love,
Amy
P.S. My mama is writing this for me ‘cause I can’t write good yet.
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