A story won’t do it. This season is often confused with other traditions that are no more than stories. We love them, but we retell those stories, winking at each other because we know they are no more than story, fiction, a cultural myth. But what fuels Christmas ultimately is not myth or story; it’s HISTORY. Something happened in history, in a particular time, a particular place, with particular details, eyewitnesses, and events. That’s MORE than a story, and if it’s not, then the whole idea of a church family, hope for resurrection, an ethical system of values, and guidance for our everyday decisions–ALL OF IT FALLS. It means nothing. It’s powerless and pointless.