25 December: The Nativity

Happy Christmas! Here are 10 facts about the Nativity:

1. The word Nativity comes from the Latin verb nasci, which means “to be born.”

2. Chances are the nativity didn’t actually happen on December 25^th. The Bible doesn't indicate the time of the year that Jesus was born, and the date was decided upon by the church in the 4^th century. In all probability Jesus was either born in the spring during lambing time or on June 17, when modern astrologers pinpointed a likely candidate for the Star of Bethlehem.

3. Our concept of Christ’s birth comes from two of the gospels – Matthew and Luke’s Gospel. The Gospels of Mark and John start with Jesus as an adult.

4. Jesus probably wasn't born in a stable. It was just as likely to have happened in a cave or the lower room of a relative’s house, albeit one where they kept their animals at night.

5. Talking of animals, The Bible never mentions any animals being there at the birth, so the cattle, Donkeys and Sheep that feature in a nativity scene aren’t exactly Biblical.

6. Neither is it Biblical for the shepherds and the wise men to all be there at the same time. In fact, the wise men probably didn’t visit Jesus until he was a toddler.

7. Nor is it mentioned anywhere in the Bible that there were three of them. It is merely assumed there were three because of the three gifts.

8. Neither is it mentioned that the herald Angels sing. Rather, Luke says they were “praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest’”.

9. Nativity scenes were first popularised by St Francis of Assisi in 1223. He got permission from the Pope at the time, Honorious III, to set up a scene to bring the Christmas story to life for people who couldn’t read.

10. St. Bonaventure, St. Francis’ biographer, claimed that the hay used by St. Francis in the first nativity scene could miraculously cure cattle of diseases.

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle