Was Christ born in a manger?

Whenever you see a nativity scene, it’s usually set in what looks like a modern barn. Is this the kind of place where Christ was born? The Shepherd priests knew how to find the newborn savior because he was born where all the lambs who would be sacrificed are born, which wasn’t in a barn.

Did the Shepherds See a Star?

Though the wise men saw a star, the Shepherd priests were visited by an angel. The angel told them “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

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Christmas True tells the ancient story of the holy symbols that we celebrate at Christmas. Where do these symbols come from and what do they mean? This article describes some of the symbols and meanings that I talk about in the book. To get your copy, sign up for free here. 

The Holly Wreath

The holly wreath is thorny, and the berries are blood red. Could this be the Crown of Thorns, placed on the savior’s head?

The Christmas Tree

As he hung upon the Tree of Life, whose leaves never die or fall; whose roots descend below all things, and branches rise above them all. And so, as we light our evergreen, and place the star up high; remember Christ, our Eternal Light, in whom we never die.

Candy Canes

Let us consider now the candy cane, formed like the Shepherd’s crook, ponder at the Shepherd’s pain, as we take a second look. Wrapped ’round the cane, it is revealed; His stripes, with which we are all healed.

Presents 

As a ransom He gave His life, the greatest gift ever given; that we might all have Eternal Life and live with Him in Heaven.

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Growing up poor is hard. And we grew up very poor. “Nothing to eat” poor, “no hot water” poor—there were years when we didn’t even have running water. But we always made it through because we had each other. Still, it was tough. There were always reminders that we were different, and that we didn’t have what other kids had. Even at Christmas. How can a mom make Christmas memorable for her kids when we couldn’t even afford to pay our gas bills?

Yet somehow our wonderful mom, Jeri Schoppe, always made our Christmases magical. Her deep belief in the magic of Christmas inspired her to write Christmas True and she used that magic every year. Here are some of our favorite memories of our mom’s Christmas magic. 

Ransom

My first Christmas memory was coming down the stairs with my brothers and sisters to a magical room. It was still dark outside, and the only lights in our little living room were Christmas lights. Some of the presents were from my siblings or grandparents, some were from “Mom and Dad,” but most of them were marked “To: Ransom, From: Father Christmas.”

We never had money growing up. But my mom (and Father Christmas, of course) always found a way to make Christmas magical for us kids. When we were living with my grandparents and had no money, the firemen came to visit. When we lived in the basement of a nudist who celebrated Christmas every day, we stayed downstairs on the real Christmas and played Monopoly. And well into my adulthood, my mom would have all of us kids spend the night on Christmas eve so that we could do Christmas morning together as a family.

My mom taught us that Christmas magic isn’t about the presents that she always managed to make or find. It’s about the love we have for each other and for our traditions that stretch back thousands of years.

Kirk

I will never forget the importance of Christmas that our Mom impressed upon us all our lives. She once made me promise that, as a father, I would do everything in my power to make Christmas as magical for my children as she had for us. Which I think is a tall order to fill as it seemed like no matter how hopeless the prospect of scrounging together an amazing Christmas for us was, she always found a way.

Through her resourcefulness, willpower, and mother’s grit – she somehow made it happen. As a child, I don’t think I understood why she bothered so much – I was just happy to have fun with my family/friends and to get presents. Now as an adult, I finally understand that our happiness was all she was ever after all along. And that was worth all the trouble for her. Very little humbles me more than the thought that, despite all the grief I’ve caused my Mom over the years, MY happiness was actually worth the struggle she went through for it – whether for Christmas specifically, or my life generally. She made Christmas a symbol of God’s love for His children, because it’s always been an expression of her love for hers.

We hope that your Christmases are as magical as ours, no matter where you are in the world or what the rest of life has put in front of you. From our family to yours, have a merry and magical Christmas! 

Kari, Ransom, Kirk, and Daniel

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Do you feel like Christmas Magic no longer exists?  I had a gentleman express to me years ago, with tears in his eyes, that he no longer had the desire to celebrate Christmas.  “It no longer holds meaning for me,” he said, “ it’s become too commercialized.”  He cried as he told me that there was no purpose in putting up a tree, or hanging a wreath on his door.  “Why am I buying gifts and what is the point of a candy cane?” he asked.  

I knew the answers to his questions, and I told him the sacred purpose for it all. He cried again and said that people need to get Christmas Magic back. That’s why I wrote Christmas True.  

Christmas True tells the ancient story of the holy symbols of Christmas. Christmas is about the savior’s birth, but also about his life, his death for our sins, and his resurrection. Christmas True describes the symbols of Christmas in this context—not only how they apply to the savior’s birth, but to his life, death, and rebirth. 

It is my purpose, in writing this book, to express that these symbols are reminders that show us that Christmas is not only the tale of the birth of Christ; but also, of his life, of his death, and of his rebirth.  These combined are Christmas Magic.

I hope that reading my story offers you as much joy as I felt in writing it and creating the artwork. 

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