Christmas Movies

I believe everyone has a favorite Christmas movie, whether it be 'It's a Wonderful Life', one of the versions of 'A Christmas Carol'; or comedies such as 'Christmas Vacation' or 'Elf'. There have been many, many great Christmas-themed movies made over the years, and a few of these were about the birth of Jesus rather than latter day celebrations. Christmas Day is a movie theater tradition at our house, and we've seen some interesting movies over the years.
In December 2006 'The Nativity Story' was released, just in time for the Christmas season. My husband and I saw it on Christmas day in a sold-out theater. This movie depicts the lives of Mary and Joseph, and the era in which they lived in the weeks and months before Mary gave birth to Jesus. It follows them as they made their journey to Bethlehem across the desert of Israel.
'The Nativity Story' was no Hollywood blockbuster; but it was a great family movie, and it adeptly illustrated the events immediately surrounding Jesus' birth as they affected his family. The storyline more closely mirrored what we read in the Bible than numerous other movies based on biblical narrative. The costumes and scenery had been carefully planned. It has become one of my favorite Christmas movies.
If you haven't seen 'The Nativity Story', or even if you've seen it before, you may want to watch it with your family this year. You can rent it from several venues, or you can buy the DVD for around $7; $15 if you want the blue ray version. I think we'll watch it on Christmas Eve. :)

Luke 2

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Birth of Jesus

2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. ⁴ And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁵ He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”