Bethlehem, the Year Jesus Was Born

. The story of Christmas like you've never heard before

The Bible teaches us the real story of Christmas. The problem is people have taken this story and added on to it. Cultures have added on to it. It's passed through countries, and they've tacked on their little spin.

We have thousands of years of a Christmas that is built around legends and myths. The Christmas we know is, in places, more a fairytale. It's an inspiring one for sure. But a fairytale, nonetheless.

When you begin to unwrap the many layers of the first Christmas, you begin to see that there's more to Christmas than meets the eyes. God is giving us a message-a gift to unwrap. It's time to slow down and unpack the layers so we can see just how beautiful this gift really is.

I want to keep all of those Christmas memories from childhood...but I also know that there's more to it then gifts-than church nativity pageants-and Christmas lights. There are so many layers to Christmas that most believers never really unpack it. There are details that have been forgotten-details that actually mean something. 

This is the story of Christmas. Christmas: God's gift to us.