And when the angels had returned to heaven, the people in the towns and villages for miles around and the Shepherds in the fields hurried to Bethlehem to find the new baby, who was the son of God. The star’s light guided them to the stable. There they saw Mary and Joseph, watching over the baby Jesus, who lay in a manger, just as the angel of the Lord had said.

“It is the holy child of God.” They whispered to one another. The soft bleeting of the sheep and gentle moo of the cows mingled with the faint cries of the tiny baby, and the people saw that the simple stable was far more splendid than any place they could imagine.

The wisemen, dressed in their jewelled crowns and silken robes stepped into the humble stable. When they saw the baby Jesus with Mary, they fell to their knees and worshipped him. The donkey, the lamb and all the other animals in the stable bowed down their heads with the mighty kings to honour him too. The three kings bought out their treasure of gold, frankincense and myrrh and laid them before the tiny baby. Mary accepted these gifts with grace, as she had accepted all the gifts that had been presented to the Christ child, no matter how small. The people knew that at long last the ancient prophecy had been fulfilled. A saviour had indeed been delivered onto them. 

“This is the day that God has made blessed,” said Casper.

“This is he who will give strength to his people,” Melchoir said. 

“Today will be remembered always,” said Balthazar.

After they left, the people who had seen the Christ child that night became the messengers of the Lord. They told everyone they met about all what they had seen and heard. In time the message spread to all countries and to children everywhere. And so it is that each Christmas we celebrate the birth of a blessed baby who was born once on a starry night in a peaceful stable in Bethlehem.