Religious Favorites Christmas Card Set - Star of Bethlehem

The Gospel of Matthew tells of wise men who followed a star from the East to find the newborn king, and that star has inspired artists for nearly two thousand years. One of the most famous depictions comes from Giotto, who painted the Adoration of the Magi in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua around 1305. He drew the star as a comet with a long glowing tail, and many historians have connected that choice to Halley's Comet, which was visible in the sky around that time. Giotto's comet turned a single bright point into a streak of light, and every star since has borrowed a little of that drama.

This card sets the story in a quiet landscape of rolling hills in sand, rose, and sage, with a pale sky above. In the foreground, a simple cream-colored shelter shelters the Holy Family, with Mary and Joseph kneeling beside the manger. Above it all, the great Star of Bethlehem rises in the sky with long rays, and small sparkling stars drift across the top of the card. The star and sparkle stars carry an iridescent glitter that shifts in the light, so the sky seems to shimmer as the card moves.

Inside, the verse reads: "Let us rejoice on the day Christ was born. Merry Christmas."

• Card Size: 5 in × 7 in (12.7 cm × 17.78 cm)
• Quantity: 16 cards, 17 envelopes
• Inside Verse: "Let us rejoice on the day Christ was born. Merry Christmas."
• Artwork: Rolling desert hills in sand, rose, and sage, a cream-colored nativity shelter with Mary and Joseph kneeling by the manger, and a large star with rays in the sky
• Finish: Iridescent glitter on the star and sparkle stars
• Collection: Religious Favorites, design 6 of 12