The whole Christmas story was probably a later addition to the gospel narratives, presented only by the authors of Matthew and Luke. Mark and John seem never to have heard of the manger in Bethlehem, the Massacre of the Innocents, the hovering star, the three wise men, and so forth. Nor did the earliest Christian writings, the letters of Paul, make any mention of the birth of Jesus or his family circumstances. Paul, in fact, showed little interest in the life of Jesus.
That Mark and John do not repeat what Luke and Matthew say does not demonstrate that what Luke and Matthew say is not true. As Wittgenstein observed, the inconsistencies in the accounts of the resurrection lend them credibility, since eye-witness accounts are often inconsistent regarding details. That said, the key point — that the Jesus story is worth living for — cannot be repeated often enough.
Then there's this, by Malcolm Gladwell: How I Rediscovered Faith.
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