Tree Talk: History of the Nativity

The Christ Child in the manger and other pictures of the story of Bethlehem have been used in church services from the first century. But the crib in its present form, and its use outside the church originated with St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. The place was a cave in Grecio, Italy, a mountainside village overlooking a beautiful valley. Inside the cave was a live ox, a donkey, and a manger...