TWAS THE NIGHT
BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
AND A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG GIRL
AND A DEVOTED CARPENTER
HAD BEEN TRAVELING TO THE
DEVOTED CARPENTER’S HOMETOWN.
NOW THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG
GIRL WAS ABOUT TO HAVE A BABY
AND THE DEVOTED CARPENTER
WAS HER NEW HUSBAND.
AND SHE HAD BEEN RIDING ON
THE BACK OF A DONKEY FOR
THREE DAYS AND
THREE NIGHTS,
AND SHE WAS SO TIRED SHE
COULD BARELY HOLD HER HEAD UP.
WHEN THEY GOT TO THE
DEVOTED CARPENTER'S
HOMETOWN, THERE WAS NO
PLACE FOR THEM TO STAY.
NOW, BACK THEN, THERE
WEREN'T HOTELS ON EVERY
CORNER, SO THE DEVOTED
CARPENTER REMEMBERED A
PLACE WHERE THE
ANIMALS STAYED. NOW, IT WASN'T CLEAN.
IT WASN'T EVEN
MADE FOR PEOPLE,
BUT IT WAS THE
BEST THEY HAD.
SO THE DEVOTED CARPENTER
TOOK THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG
GIRL, AND MADE HER A
SOFT PLACE IN THE HAY,
RIGHT NEXT TO A MOTHER GOAT
AND HER THREE LITTLE ONES. WHILE THE BEAUTIFUL
YOUNG GIRL LAID THERE,
SHE KNEW IT WAS TIME.
HER BABY WAS ABOUT TO
BE BORN, RIGHT THERE,
IN THAT PLACE WHERE
THE ANIMALS STAYED.
NOW, NOT FAR FROM THERE,
SOME SHEEP HERDERS WERE
WORKING IN THE FIELDS
MAKING SURE THAT NONE OF
THEIR SHEEP WANDERED OFF
SO THEY'D ALL BE READY TO
MOVE OUT WHEN
MORNING CAME. WHILE THE SHEEP HERDERS
WERE SITTING ON THE HILL,
LISTENING TO THE SILENCE
OF THE COUNTRYSIDE,
THEY WERE ALMOST KNOCKED
OVER BY WHAT THEY SAW.
WHAT DID THEY SEE?
IT WAS A GREAT ANGEL,
RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM,
SHINING SO BRIGHT THAT
THEY ALMOST HAD TO LOOK
AWAY, BUT THEY
JUST COULDN'T.
AND CHILLS RAN DOWN THE SHEEP HERDERS’ SPINES WHEN
THE GREAT ANGEL
BEGAN TO SPEAK.
WHAT DID THE
GREAT ANGEL SAY?
THE GREAT ANGEL SAID,
“DON’T BE AFRAID,
BECAUSE I’M HERE TO TELL
YOU SOMETHING AMAZING.
RIGHT NOW, IN A LITTLE
TOWN NOT FAR FROM HERE,
GOD HAS COME DOWN TO
EARTH FOR A VISIT."
AND THE SHEEP HERDERS
COULDN'T BELIEVE THEIR EARS. GOD?
THE ONE WHO MADE THE
UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT?
DOWN HERE?
AND THE GREAT
ANGEL SAID, "YES,
AND UNBELIEVABLE
AS IT SEEMS, TONIGHT GOD IS A BABY, AND
HE’S LYING IN A TROUGH IN
A PLACE WHERE
THE ANIMALS STAY.
AND HE’S COME HERE TO GIVE
EVERYONE IN THE WORLD A
GIFT, AND AFTER TONIGHT,
THE WORLD WILL NEVER BE
THE SAME AGAIN.”
AND WHEN THE GREAT
ANGEL SAID THAT,
THE SKY WAS SUDDENLY FILLED WITH GREAT ANGELS,
TOO MANY FOR THE SHEEP
HERDERS TO COUNT,
AND THE LIGHTS WERE SO
BRIGHT IT LOOKED LIKE THE
MOON HAD EXPLODED.
AND THE GREAT ANGELS
WERE ALL SINGING,
LIKE A GIANT ROCK
CONCERT IN THE SKY. AND THE GREAT ANGELS SANG,
WITH THE VOLUME TURNED ALL
THE WAY UP, “IT’S
TIME TO CELEBRATE!
BECAUSE GOD HAS COME
TO EARTH FOR A VISIT!
BECAUSE GOD CAN
DO ANYTHING!
AND AFTER TONIGHT, THE
WORLD WILL NEVER
BE THE SAME AGAIN!”
BACK IN THE CARPENTER'S
HOMETOWN, THE BABY,
THAT WAS GOD COME TO
EARTH FOR A VISIT,
LAY FAST ASLEEP IN THE
BEAUTIFUL YOUNG GIRL'S ARMS.
AND THE COWS HE CREATED
WATCHED HIM SLEEP.
AND UP IN THE RAFTERS, THE
DOVES HE HAD COVERED WITH
FEATHERS WATCHED
HIM SLEEP.
AND THE DONKEY HE MADE
WATCHED HIM SLEEP. AND SITTING CLOSE BY, THE
DEVOTED CARPENTER WATCHED
HIM SLEEP AS HE WIPED THE
BEADS OF SWEAT FROM THE
BEAUTIFUL YOUNG
GIRL'S CHEEK,
AND THE CARPENTER THOUGHT
TO HIMSELF HOW THE WORLD
WOULD NEVER BE
THE SAME AGAIN,
BECAUSE GOD HAD COME
DOWN FOR A VISIT.