With serenity beyond her years, the young and heavily pregnant teenage girl leaves her home village of Nazareth and its small comforts to go on a long and arduous journey to Bethlehem with Joseph. He is a young man she loves and to whom Mary is betrothed, but he is not the father of her baby.

Despite the painful awareness of the nasty gossiping and scornful looks of the women in the market, both Mary and Joseph have been separately told by angel messengers that Mary is carrying the son of God. He is to be a Savior for their people and that knowledge fills them with love for the child and sustains them on their journey, despite its worries and travails.

Famous for her Christmas stories of hope and love, New York Times bestselling author Donna VanLiere has penned a warm, yet sharply realistic, account of the age old story by focusing on the normal worries of the journey and the faith in God of this young family. Made fresh by shifting the perspective to that of the eyes, ears, and thoughts of the parents, we are pulled directly into the dust, pain, and weariness of the journey. Our senses are assailed by the smells of the animals and the molding smells of the moldering hay when they finally find a bit of shelter in the back stable of an overcrowded inn.

Prefaced by the simple version of the story from Luke and delightfully illustrated by Michael Storrings, THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY is sure to be a treasure for your family to read every year or to give as a gift of joy to others. With its origins as a narrative tale, it begs to be read aloud and shared with others.