Charlie Bear takes Annie and the Bunny Twins to Bethlehem
December 4, 1964
One crispy, nippy, windy day Charlie Bear was getting ready to go fishing when little Annie Bear said, “Papa, you promised to take us to see Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born.”
“Yes, and so I shall… but not today, Annie, “answered papa Charlie Bear. “But, when, Papa? “Begged Annie. “Let’s go see let’s go soon.”
“Well,” said papa Charlie Bear, “all right, we can go day after tomorrow.”
Little Annie could hardly wait so long. She told her friends, Pam and Kim, the twin bunnies, that she was going to Bethlehem and they wanted to go too. Of course, who wouldn’t want to go out on a trip with Charlie Bear? Annie asked her papa Charlie bear if they could go. “We’ll see,” he answered.
As the Charlie bear family was having breakfast in the morning of the big trip, mama Bear noticed little Charlie wasn’t eating his scrambled eggs. “What’s the matter? “Ask mama bear.
“I don’t feel well, mama,” sobbed little Charlie.
“Oh, that’s too bad, my little bearkin. I guess you and I will stay home today.” And to papa Bear she said, “Why don’t you go alone with Annie?”
“But, I want to go too,” cried little Charlie. “No, not today,” said mama Bear firmly.
“If little Charlie and mommy don’t go, maybe Papa will let me take the bunny twins,” thought Annie. As soon as she had finished her breakfast, Annie went over to her papa, put her on arm around his neck and said into his ear, “I want to whisper you something.”
“What is it?” papa Charlie Bear whispered back.
“Can Pam and Kim go with us to Bethlehem? “
“Oh,” said papa. He thought a minute and then answered, “I don’t know why not… if it’s all right with Mrs. Bunny.”
“Oh, yippie, yippie, yippie,” shouted Annie as she ran out the door to invite the Bunny Twins.
In ten minutes Annie was back with Pam and Kim hopping along beside her. Papa Charlie Bear had his traveling cap on. He handed Annie’s cap to her, gave Pam a little Charlie’s cap and gave Kim Mrs. Charlie Bears cap.
As soon as all the three children had put their caps on, they whirled around three times, turned a somersault in there they were on the road that leads from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
“What Happened?” asked papa Charlie Bear. “We didn’t quite get to Bethlehem. I guess we didn’t turn quite enough somersault. There is Bethlehem on the top of that big hill. It’s not very far. Let’s walk.”
Pam and Kim were hopping along with Annie and papa Charlie bear, when Pam said, “Oh, look! What is that black thing down there? “
“Where?” asked Charlie Bear.
“Over there,” she answered as she pointed to a large black object on the side of the Bethlehem hill.
“Oh, that is a nomad’s tent,” answered papa Charlie bear.
“What’s a nomad?” asked Kim as she hopped to catch up to the to the others. (She had stopped to watch some ants along the road side.)
“A nomad is a shepherd who moves his goats and sheep from place to place as the animals eat the grass all up. That big black tent you see is their home.”
As the road went around the curve, whom did they see on the side of the hill right below where they were but a woman wearing a loose fitting black dress that went nearly to the ground. She didn’t wear any stockings and only had sandals on her wide feet. She was dark skinned and very thin.
They watched as she broke branches from the little bushes that were scattered wide apart on the barren hillside. When she had a big bunch, she put them in a high pile right on top of her head!
“What is she doing?” asked Annie.
“She’s collecting wood to make a fire so she can cook dinner for her family,” answered papa Charlie bear. “The nomad women collect the wood, carry the water, and take care of the family while the men tend to the flocks and go to the market.”
“Was it some of these shepherds who saw the star when Jesus was born?” asked Pam.
“Yes,” said papa Charlie Bear. “Some of the same shepherds were out taking care of their sheep when they saw the star shining ever so brightly in the sky right over Bethlehem there on that hilltop. They followed its light and went right to the stable where the little Baby had just been born. That’s where we are going now. Let’s take one somersault and get there quickly. Here we are – right in front of the church of the nativity. People have built this church right over the place where the major is. Will have to go in in order to see it.”
“I thought the manger was in a barn,” said Annie.
“Yes, Annie,” answered papa Charlie Bear, “that’s what the story in the Bible says – that Jesus was born in a stable. Well, in those days the stable where the animals were kept was really a cave in the hillside because they didn’t have forests where wood comes from to build barns. The inn was built on top of the ground over the stable. Let’s go in.”
As they went in they saw the large main room of the church. Over on one wall was a small door just big enough for one person at a time to go through. They walked over and went down the steps that lead to it.
Papa Bear said, “This is the entrance to the stable where baby Jesus was born.” They went in and really were in a cave. The roof was all rock. The walls were all rock. The floor was all rock. And, there was the manger. It was a large long stone hollowed out in the middle where the hay was put and where the new little Baby was laid down ever so gently nearly 2000 years ago when he was born.
Kim reached out and touched the stone – but pulled her head back quickly because it was cold. Papa bear told her that they made a nice warm bed for the baby.
There were so few lights in the cave that it was quite dark and the children didn’t want to stay any longer. So, they went outside where the sun was shining brightly.
They had seen so much they wanted to go home as quickly as possible to tell little Charlie and mama Bear and Mrs. Bunny all about the land where Jesus was born.
“Everyone have their traveling cap on?” asked papa Charlie Bear.
“O.K. then, whirl around three times, turn a somersault and here we are back home.”
Pam and Kim thanked Mr. Charlie Bear very much for taking them and hopped over to their house. Annie ran into tell her mother and little Charlie (who is feeling much better) all what had happened.