It was Christmas Eve 1223 at Greccio, not far from Francis' home town of Assisi. Clattering feet rang on the stony path up the mountain side and voices hummed excitedly. Then the footsteps and voices stopped abruptly. Torches and candles lit up the entrance to a cave in the mountain. Within the flickering shadows of the cave the watchers could make out the gently breathing forms of an ox and a donkey, standing patiently beside the carved wooden figure of a baby in a crib.

As the villagers watched, St Francis began to tell the story of the first Christmas, taking the part of each character in turn. For too long the incarnation had been a subject to be studied by learned theologians and priests. Francis was determined that ordinary men and women should understand what it meant for God's Son to be born in a poor and dirty stable.

St Francis' Christmas crib became a special occasion every Christmas. Soon he provided a real baby instead of the carved wooden one he had ordered the first year. He always chose an orphan with no home, because he knew that afterwards the child would be well cared for.

In the centuries that followed, Francis' idea of a Christmas crib spread all over Europe. They were set up in churches and later in homes, where still today in some countries they are the centre of the Christmas worship.