It was almost Christmas time, and there was a God fearing man and his family whose children needed some Christmas presents.  It’s been a hard year for them.    Their last pennies went into the offering at church and there wasn’t really anything left to give to their children.

So, the mother looked around her sparse kitchen and saw two plastic containers that she had left from coffee.   She thought long and hard what she could do.  So, she finally thought, well, I’ve got some bows and ribbon and I would use these plastic containers and fill them up with candy canes and some homemade cookies and then put ribbons and bows on them for the children.  So, that is what she did.

Now, it was Christmas eve and the family was sitting around in their living room together enjoying their old fireplace.  The wind was blowing outside and the children were excited about Christmas.

While they were all there together enjoying everybody’s company a presence made itself known to all.  They could feel a  love and warmth that wasn’t just coming from the fireplace as they felt a Heavenly presence enter the dimly lit room.

They looked and saw an angel that appeared before them.  The angel stood about 7 feet high and smelled of frankincense and myrrh.  When they took it all in they saw a tint of blue mist that formed around the big bright white angel wings.

The family thought they’d died and gone to heaven.  This angelic presence was almost more than they could take.   The angel spoke in a large clear voice. as it said to them I’ve come from the most high to give you a present that you can cherish at this Christmas time.  The angel then waived his hand over the old rug they had before them.  What happened next is nothing short of a miracle.

They saw a simple manger scene with a small baby and his mother and father gazing lovingly at him.

Then they each got a message from the Holy Sprit that this little baby wasn’t just any baby.  He was going to save the world, and his name was “Jesus”.

You see God gave us the best Christmas present  that he could at this Christmas time and forever and that is his son Jesus.

That little baby born in the manger would bring everlasting life to all.

The family members then looked at each other and began weeping as they realized that this was the best Christmas present that they could have received at Christmas time.

You see, my friend, Christmas time isn’t how many presents you receive for yourself or others, but it’s about Jesus being born.  He was born to give us everlasting life.

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Author Billie Jean Kotulski

Disclosure:  Part of this story is fictional, but the part of this story that is real is that Jesus really was born in a manger to give us everlasting life.

Also, Billie Kotulski is not a minister.  She is just speaking from her heart.