“First Christmas,” Friend, Dec. 1999, inside front cover
First Christmas
He didn’t have warm blankets
Or a soft and cuddly bed—
He had a manger filled with hay
And swaddling clothes, instead.
He didn’t have a stocking
Stuffed full with candy treats—
But shepherds came to visit Him
Through Bethlehem’s dark streets.
He didn’t have a Christmas tree
With colored, twinkling lights—
He had a new and special star
Shining in the night.
He had but few of earthly things
On that first Christmas day—
But He came bringing love from God,
And gives it still today!
Detail from The Birth of Jesus by Carl Bloch. Used by permission of the National Historic Museum at Frederiksborg in Hillerød.