Mary's First Christmas

Gather near and listen to the wondrous bedtime story, told long ago by a special mother to her very special son. Listen as Mary tells five-year-old Jesus of the first Christmas-- of his own birth and the remarkable events that surrounded it. Award-winning author Walter Wangerin tells this moving story in four parts, to be read in one sitting or over the course of four nights. And artist Timothy Ladwig brings to glowing life the people and places of Jesus' young life. Listen. Look. And you too will experience the wonder and glory of Mary's First Christmas. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

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This book was given to me right after we started our family. I remember reading this story and weeping because I was looking at Christmas through the eyes of a mother for the first time. The story is told from Mary's perspective and captures all of the emotions a mother experiences those first years coupled with the unknowns of being entrusted with raising the promised Messiah. I read this story every year to the youth group of our church and to my own family. I LOVE IT!!!

My wife began reading this book to our children years ago. One Christmas I suggested she read it to our youth at church. Every year the youth ask when she is going to read it again. This year I am buying her a new copy. It seems someone borrowed it last year and "forgot" to return it. It is the greatest story ever told told in a uniquely beautiful way.

Mary’s First Christmas tells the story of the Nativity from Mary’s perspective. In the story, Mary is talking to her 5-year-old son Jesus. Jesus has a gash in his forehead caused by a stone thrown at him. As Mary tends to the wound, she begins telling the story of his life. The book is divided into 4 chapters. Each relates a different part of the story. In chapter 1, Mary doesn’t start her story with that blessed night in Bethlehem; instead, she begins with her encounter with the angel nine months before Jesus’ birth. The angel tells her she will have a son and she will call him Jesus. Mary tells Jesus how excited she was to receive such wonderful news. Chapter 2 begins with her telling Joseph the news. At first, Joseph is very angry because he thinks Mary has been with another man. Then an angel visits him and tells him he is to wed Mary and raise the child as his own. Chapter 3 is the story of Jesus’ actual birth. Mary tells Jesus how she & Joseph traveled to Bethlehem and couldn’t find a place to spend the night. They were forced to bed down in a stable with the animals & that’s where Jesus was born. In chapter 4, Mary tells Jesus about the three wise men who came to visit when Jesus was nearly 2 months old. The wise men warned Mary and Joseph that King Herod wanted to kill Jesus, so the family fled to Egypt to keep him safe. After King Herod died, the family went back to Nazareth where Jesus grew up. Mary tells him he will face a life of sorrow & hardship but that he would be “the one to heal the dangers & hatred and sin of the world.” The language of the text is poetic and lyrical. Here’s a sample:“On the night you were born the whole sky exploded with love,& the angels shouted, & more than a thousand thousand hearts were in love with my baby Jesus on his birthday!” The colorful, vivid and incredibly life-like illustrations, by Timothy Ladwig, are a feast for the eyes & the text is music to the ears. Christian Children's Book Review

I bought this book three years ago as a Christmas story for my second grade class at school. Each year the children are fascinated by the beautiful art work and the way the author shows Jesus as a boy growing up like one of them. They also enjoy seeing the story in a new way told by a mother - like theirs - who loves her son very much.

We love this book and use it as a story and as an advent devotional for our younger children. The pictures, story and angle of the story gives a new perspective for children at Christmas.

This is a truly wonderful book. I fell in love with the artwork on the cover, bought it and have not regretted once. My children love to read and re-read this loving story. It was their idea to give a copy to each of their cousins this Christmas. It is, as I have said, a wonderful book. Mary is telling a young Jesus(approximate age of 8) the story of his birth. The realism of the artwork, and the simple story made the true meaning of Christmas come alive for my children.

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