"Okay, Alex? I want to tell you a story about the very first Christmas. Come sit on my lap."

She sits.

"Okay, so once, a long, long time ago, there was a woman named Mary. And one day, an angel came down from heaven..."

"What's heaven?"

"Oh, heaven? Well, heaven is ... well ... forget heaven. An angel came to visit Mary. And the angel said, 'Mary, you have a baby in your tummy.'"

"Like Auntie Tessa!"

"Yes, just like Auntie Tessa. And the angel said, "Mary, your baby will be very, very special..."

"Auntie Tessa's baby is very, very special."

"Yes, I know..."

"VERY special."

"Yes, Alex I know. So anyway, the baby grew and grew inside of Mary's tummy, and then it was time to have the baby. But when it was time, Mary and her husband Joseph were traveling..."

"To America?"

"No, not to America..."

"We're going to America!"

"Yes, we're going to America to spend Christmas with grandma and grandad. But that's not where.."

"I like America."

"Alex, I know you like America, but can we get back to the story, please? So Joseph and Mary were traveling, and it was time for Mary to have the baby. But every inn Joseph went to..."

"What did Joseph go into?"

"What?"

"What did Joseph go into?"

"He didn't go into anything... oh! The inn! Umm.. well, an inn is like a hotel. So every hotel that Joseph went to had no room. He went to one hotel and there was no room. He went to another hotel, and there was no room. So then he went to another hotel, and ..."

"There was NO ROOM."

"Well, this time, the hotel man said 'We don't have any rooms, but we do have a manger...umm... a stable...oh, um.... a BARN! We have a barn! You can go into the barn and sleep on the hay."

"A barn?"

"Yes, a barn. And they went in the barn, and there were sheep, and cows."

"No, there were no sheep and cows."

"They're weren't?"

"No."

"Okay, what was in the barn, then?"

"DINOSAURS!"

"Alex I don't think there were dino..."

"And BEARS!"

"Alex, no, I don't think..."

"There were DINOSAURS AND BEARS, Mummy."

"Okay, Alex, there were dinosaurs and bears. And Mary had the baby, and lay the baby in the mang ... hay, and she called the baby Jesus. And that day was Jesus' birthday, and we call it Christmas! Christmas is Jesus' birthday!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS! Mummy? Can we make Jesus a cake with chocolate sprinkles?"