So what really happened the night before Christmas?

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the stable
The real Christmas, mind you…this isn’t a fable
The young couple had traveled from far, far away
They had spent hours traveling all the long day

The innkeeper smiled and then shook his head
“No, I don’t have a room, I’m sorry,” he said
“But, listen, I do have a stable out back–
Please make yourself comfortable among the haystacks.”

The young man heart’s sunk; this wasn’t ideal
He thought of his wife–how would she feel?
The baby was coming, she was already in labor
Would she mind terribly to have beasts as her neighbors?

But then she spoke softly to him on that night
“It’s a soft place to lay down, far out of sight.”
He sighed and then turned to the man at the door
“We’ll take it,” he said and then turned to implore-

“Can you show us the way? Is it just right out back?
My wife needs to lay down, that is a fact.”
The innkeeper directed a young servant boy
To show them the way, amidst all the noise

For people had come from far and from near
To register for taxes on this night so clear
And Bethlehem rang with the noise of the crowd
As young Joseph and Mary followed the boy down

Down to the stable, so small and so dim
The animals moved restlessly, causing a din
Inside they found a stall filled with hay
A comfortable place for Mary to lay

And right there it was, a manger so small
They carefully placed it right by the wall
Joseph wiped it all down with a rag that he found
And carefully lay a soft covering all ’round

And then came the most difficult night
Either had experienced in all of their life
For a baby boy was born on that night
And it wasn’t painless or without fright

For whenever a baby in this world is born
There is pain and discomfort before the morn
This has been part of the process since time began
When sin came into the world through the choice of a man

But as Mary lay there in the dim light
In fields near the town, an angel interrupted the night!
The shepherds looked up and what did they see?
A sight so incredible, they wanted to flee

This angel told them where to go
To see the Savior born in a manner so low
And then, much to their surprise
A Heavenly Host filled all the sky!

“Glory to God in the Highest” they sang
Their beautiful voices, through the whole sky, they rang
And when it was over, the shepherds looked all around
And knew they just had to start into town

And when they arrived at that stable so small
They heard a small cry, there–in that stall
And as they walked over towards that place in the barn
They saw smiling Mary, a small babe in her arms

And so it was on that first Christmas night
That Jesus was born to make all things right
For this was not just any old birth
For Jesus brought hope and joy to the earth!

And many years later he would die on a cross
To save you and me, when all was thought lost
And, so that is truly the Christmas story
Let’s celebrate Jesus, in all of His glory!