Book excerpt: Closer to The Real Christmas Story explores an alternate telling of the popular Christmas narrative. Much more than a children¿s Christmas story book, readers of all ages will be challenged to take a closer look at what the biblical text does and does not say, what historically we do and do not know with relative certainty, and culturally what we should and should not expect logically. Read and studied individually, as a family or in a small group, this discipleship tool will promote healthy dialogue, sharpen critical thinking skills and develop principles of Bible interpretation.