
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, December 25, 1994                   TAG: 9412290077
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: CODY LOWE/STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

AWAY IN A MANGER

Some kindergarten students at Garden City Elementary School and Roanoke Valley Christian School last week shared their recollections of the Christmas story with us. We combined the accounts of the children pictured on this page to create this kindergarten version of the birth of the baby Jesus. We began by asking them simply to tell us the story of the first Christmas.

WELL, one day the pilgrims decided to come over and they found Indians somewhere.''

(Oops, wrong story. Sorry.)

``One time an angel came up to Mary and said she would have a baby and she was too old to. Even though she couldn't, she did. But the angel, while she was sleeping, the angel came down and talked to Joseph like a dream and he heard what happened and he asked Mary if it was true and they traveled on a donkey all the way to Bethlehem. The father had to walk the donkey while Mary rided the donkey.

``And Mary and Joseph, they had to travel to Bethlehem to have the baby - because the king said they got to come and sign their name for taxes. They went to an inn place but they knocked on the door and they asked the innkeeper if they could stay, but the innkeeper said they could stay in the stable. And that night the baby was born. It was a special thing to show us it was Christmas.

``He was born in a little thing that is sort of like a square, but it's a manger. It's a place where animals eat and it's a thing they put babies on to lay down. It was a good place for a baby to be born because you can make a bed out of hay for them.

``There were some cows in there and some sheeps. Some lambs, and horses and goats and camels and donkeys.

``Everybody came to see the baby Jesus. Some of his mama's friends came to see him. And an angel, it told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem to see the baby. They said `hi' to him. He was very good.

``Three wise men came to Jesus by a star - or an angel - but first they went to King Herod because they thought he was the new king. But King Herod said he wasn't the new king. He asked his helpers and they said God promised a long time ago that the baby was going to be born in Bethlehem and King Herod said when they found the baby to tell him where it was, that he was going to worship him but he really didn't want anybody to be the king but him. He was going to kill the baby.

``The wise men, they were God's helpers. They came to see Jesus because he was a nice baby. The wise mens brought him presents - gold and Frankenstein, or gold and franchensense and myrrh, or gold and frankincense and myrrh. I think there was baby stuff - like baby blankets, baby toys, baby bottles, baby walkers and baby cradles and flowers. That's why we give presents for baby Jesus' birthday. But it's not important because you get presents, it's because Jesus Christ was born and he saved our sins.

``King Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, so they went away to another city. When Herod was dead, the angel of the Lord came down and told Joseph it was safe to go back.

``That's the way I heard it in my Bible.''

by CNB