“Who could argue with the message the authors draw from the Bible’s Christmas stories? Light in the darkest time of the year, hope in a period of creeping despair—these are powerful and universal themes that can give everyone a stake in Christmas.” —USA Today In The First Christmas Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan—top Jesus scholars and authors of The Last Week—help us see the real Christmas story buried in the familiar Bible accounts. Basing their interpretations on the two nativity narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Borg and Crossan focus on the literal story—the inner truth rather than the historical facts—to offer a clear and uplifting message of hope and peace. With The First Christmas readers get a fresh, deep, and new understanding of the nativity story, enabling us to better appreciate the powerful message of the Gospels.

This gorgeously illustrated picture book features a lyrical retelling of the birth of Christ, written in the style of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." "'Twas the very first Christmas when all through the town, not a creature was stirring--there was not a sound." This beautiful retelling of the birth of Jesus celebrates that joyous night in Bethlehem so long ago. The poem begins with the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and moves through Christ's birth, the angels' appearance to the shepherds, and the visit by the Wise Men. The simple, yet elegant, verses will appeal to little ones and are accompanied by the rich oil illustrations of Christine Kornacki.

In My First Christmas, warm illustrations and easy-to-follow text celebrate the joys and traditions of this special holiday. From decorating the tree to putting cookies out for Santa, the Christmas spirit is beautifully captured by Tomie dePaola.

A beautiful retelling of THE FIRST CHRISTMAS from Two-time Caldecott Medalist Nonny Hogrogian... From Joseph and Mary's trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem to the birth of Jesus in a humble manger, Nonny Hogrogian illustrates THE FIRST CHRISTMAS with true love. In every stroke of paint, we vividly share in excitement of the wiseman, the joy of the shepherds, and the playfulness of the angels singing on high. This Christmas retelling is peppered with actual verses from the Gospels and will make for the perfect family reading on an early Christmas morning.

“I love The First Christmas. What a charming way Stephen Mitchell has found to tell my favorite story of all, the Nativity, character by character (I love the donkey and the ox), with wise and thrilling interludes about God, reality, truth.” –Anne Lamott In The First Christmas, Stephen Mitchell brings the Nativity story to vivid life as never before. A narrative that is only sketched out in two Gospels becomes fully realized here with nuanced characters and a setting that reflects the culture of the time. Mitchell has suffused the birth of Jesus with a sense of beauty that will delight and astonish readers. In this version, we see the world through the eyes of a Whitmanesque ox and a visionary donkey, starry-eyed shepherds and Zen-like wise men, each of them providing a unique perspective on a scene that is, in Western culture, the central symbol for good tidings of great joy. Rather than superimposing later Christian concepts onto the Annunciation and Nativity scenes, he imagines Mary and Joseph experiencing the angelic message as a young Jewish woman and man living in the year 4 bce might have experienced it, with terror, dismay, and ultimate acceptance. In this context, their yes becomes an act of great moral courage. Readers of every background will be enchanted by this startlingly beautiful reimagining of the Christmas tale.

Presents the story of Jesus's birth, based on the lyrics of the carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem."