One day, around 2,000 years ago, something wonderful happened:

In the town of Nazareth, a young woman was engaged to be married. The woman's name was Mary and her future husband's name was Joseph, who was of the house of King David.

One day, an angel named Gabriel was sent from God to see Mary. Gabriel went to Mary and said "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." Mary was troubled at what Gabriel said and wondered what manner of greeting this was.

Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid because she had found favor with God. Then Gabriel said that Mary would become pregnant, have a son and was to call His name Jesus. Gabriel then told her that He would be great and would be called the Son of God and that God will give to Him the throne of His father David. Also, He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever and His kingdom would have no end

Then Mary asked Gabriel, "How can this happen, seeing that I am a virgin and have never been with a man?" Gabriel answered, "The Holy Ghost will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you, the holy thing which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God; for with God nothing shall be impossible." Gabriel went on to tell Mary of her much older cousin, Elisabeth, who could not have children, how through God she was now six months pregnant. Mary said to Gabriel, "Here I am, let it be according to your word." And Gabriel departed.

Mary went immediately to visit Elisabeth. She went into Elisabeth and Zacharias' house and called to Elisabeth. When Elisabeth heard Mary, her baby leaped in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Ghost. Elisabeth said to Mary, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, and why is the mother of my Lord coming to me?" Mary stayed with Elisabeth three months, until Elisabeth delivered her baby-who would be known as John the Baptist.

Now when Joseph learned Mary was pregnant, he didn't want to publicly humiliate her, so he wanted to put her away privately. As he thought about this, the angel Gabriel (the same one who visited Mary) appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall have a Son and you will call Him Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins."
All this happened so that the prophecy of Isaiah might be fulfilled which said, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Then Joseph woke up and did as Gabriel said and took Mary as his wife: and they did not have relations while she was pregnant.

When Mary was very big with her child, a decree came from Caesar Augustus that all the world was to be taxed. Everybody had to go to his ancestral city to be taxed. Joseph and Mary went from Nazareth to Bethlehem (the city of David) to be taxed. When they got to Bethlehem, Mary went into labor. Joseph tried to find a room for them, but all the inns were full. A kind person let them use their stable to stay in. While in the stable, Mary gave birth to a son, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes (strips of cloth) and laid Him in a manger (a feed trough).

That same night, in the same country, shepherds were watching over their flocks. All of a sudden the angel of the Lord (possibly Gabriel) came to them and they were very frightened. The angel said, "Don't be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign for you; you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." All of a sudden, there with the angel was a multitude of the heavenly host (angels) praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." When the angels left, the shepherds said, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see for ourselves this thing which the Lord has made known to us." They hurried and found Mary, Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they told everyone what was told them concernng the child. Everyone wondered about the things the shepherds told them, but Mary kept them all and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned to their sheep glorifying and praising God for the things they had heard and seen.

When eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, His name was called Jesus, so named because of the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

When Jesus was born, in the days of Herod the king, three wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We have seen His star in the east and are come to worship Him." When Herod heard this, he and all Jerusalem was troubled. He gathered all the chief priests and scribes and demanded where Christ should be born. They told him in Bethlehem in the land of Judaea, for it was written by the prophet Micah, "And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." Then Herod called the wise men aside and asked what time the star appeared to them, then sent them to Bethlehem and told them to find the child, then tell him so he could go and worship Him also. They left and the star went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they were very joyful. When they came into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, and fell down and worshipped Him. Then they presented Him their gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.