You can be friends with each boy and girl, You're never alone with friends all around
Friends are friends from the very start, They always have a hap-hap-happy heart
Come to Francesco's friendly world, Let's be friends
Make a new friend, you just can't go wrong, You'll even find friends in fur scales or feathers
Friendship begins with one simple song, Our voices can blend and let's sing it together
Friends will always be there for you, To share a smile or tell your troubles too
Come to Francesco's friendly world, Let's be friends
Christmas Day is coming soon, Sing a happy Christmas tune
A very special baby's born, Welcome him on Christmas morn
La da dee da dee da dee da dee, La da da, la da, la da
That looks beautiful, Florette!
The green branches with their red berries make the church look very pretty.
Thank you, Francesco.
Hmm, where did this berry come from?
Oops!
Florette, why are you putting those branches up there?
I know!
You're doing a great job!
Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year!
Christmas is the best time of year to be with friends, Sister Mouse!
And speaking of our friends, I wonder where they are?
I want to invite them to a special celebration here at the church tonight!
I'll go find them!
Thank you, Sister Bird!
Yum-yum!
This honey tastes so sweet!
Hey, Leopold!
Stop eating all the honey!
I was just tasting to see if it was sweet enough.
Mmm!
I'll go get my berries now!
Thanks for sharing your recipe, Florette!
Well, it's not much, but it's all we had to give!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
Ow!
What are you doing?
The squirrels and I filled this hollow tree with nuts to eat in the winter!
I'm trying to get some of them to roll out of this hole!
Well, I'll help you!
Ho-ho-ho!
Here I go!
Yum-yum!
Are you sure this tree is full of nuts?
Yes!
Paolo!
Will you please try?
Sure!
Uh...
Oh!
I think we have enough now, Paolo.
Oops!
Here comes the first problem!
Paolo!
The box is away!
Here comes another one!
Hello, everyone!
What are you doing?
Why?
We're...
We're...
What are we doing, Paolo?
We're putting presents in my saddlebags!
Presents?
Who are they for?
I thought we could surprise Francesco with some Christmas presents!
Oh, it is nearly Christmas, isn't it?
Francesco's making the church look extra pretty right now!
Let's go see!
Faster, Paolo!
Faster!
Slower, Paolo!
Slower!
Stop, Paolo!
Stop!
You weren't supposed to stop that fast!
Listen!
Christmas day is nearly here, filling us with love and cheer.
God's only Son came here to earth, Christmas day, we praise His birth.
I can't wait till Christmas day, then together we will pray we're thankful
God's only Son came to earth for everyone.
Good morning, my friends!
Good morning, Francesco!
Come, sit and talk with me.
I can talk to my daily obsidium!
Oh, dear!
Your robe has lots of holes, Francesco!
It was torn many times when we were rebuilding our church.
Don't you have another robe to wear?
No, Luigi.
I only need one robe.
Francesco, will you please tell us about Christmas and these pictures, too?
They're decorations, things to make the church look even more beautiful.
I'm getting ready to celebrate a very special birthday tonight.
A birthday?
Oh, boy!
Birthday parties are fun!
Who's birthday is it, Francesco?
Yes, tell us!
Is it yours?
No, it's not my birthday, Armando.
We're going to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.
Who's Jesus?
Jesus is God's only Son who came to live on earth many, many years ago.
His birthday is called Christmas.
Oh, it's so exciting getting ready for Christmas!
It's one of the happiest times of the year!
Are these birthday candles for Jesus' party, Francesco?
Yes, they are, Leopold.
Each candle means something special.
This candle reminds us of Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born.
I know the Christmas story!
This is a picture of Mary, Jesus' mother, and her husband, Joseph.
She's riding on a burrow like me.
They had traveled a long way to a little town called Bethlehem.
That's where Jesus was born.
Why is the baby in a barn with a bunch of cows?
The little town of Bethlehem was so crowded, there was no place for them to stay.
It must have been very cold.
Where did they go?
Mary and Joseph found a place in a stable.
Baby Jesus was born there, and Mary had to put him in a bed of straw called a manger.
I know a song about baby Jesus in the manger, Francesco.
Oh, sing it for us, please.
Away in a manger, no crib for his bed.
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay.
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
That's a beautiful song of Loretta.
Now, what does this candle stand for, Francesco?
That's the shepherd's candle, Luigi.
They came to see Jesus on the night of his birth.
What's a shepherd?
A shepherd takes care of sheep, gives them food and water,
and protects them so they won't get hurt.
How did the shepherds find out about Jesus' birth?
On the night that Jesus was born, some shepherds were taking care of their sheep.
All of a sudden, God's helpers, called angels, appeared in the sky.
The angels came to tell the shepherds that God's Son, Jesus, was born that night in Bethlehem.
The shepherds were very excited when they heard the news,
and they ran to the barn to celebrate Jesus' birthday.
While shepherds watched their sheep at night, suddenly the sky turned bright.
Some angels sang, some blew a horn.
In Bethlehem, God's Son is born.
In Bethlehem, God's Son is born.
Go hurry, see the baby now.
He sleeps with lamb and gentle cow.
There was no place for him to stay.
So now his bed is made of hay.
Yes, now his bed is made of hay.
Let's go see Jesus, God's own Son.
God's special gift for everyone.
We'll kneel beside his bed to pray,
and celebrate this Christmas day.
Yes, celebrate this Christmas day.
What does the third purple candle stand for, Francesco?
This candle reminds us of three kings who brought presents to Jesus.
Wow! Three kings came to Jesus' birthday party?
Yes, Leopold. Riding camels, they came from far, far away,
following a very bright star in the sky.
The kings were so happy when they saw the star shining over Bethlehem,
because it showed them where Jesus was born.
They hurried toward the barn, and on the way, they sang a song like this.
Camel, camel, carry me
Toward the shining star I sing
Follow it across the sky
The Son of God is close nearby
Camel, camel, see the star
Shine o'er Bethlehem afar
He will love the gifts we hold
Mir and frankincense and gold
Camel, camel, don't slow down
Till we find the babe in town
Camel, camel, hurry fast
Now we'll find God's Son at last
The Son of God is close nearby
What presents did the three kings give to Jesus?
Oh, shiny gold and sweet smelling frankincense and myrrh.
Wow!
Why is this candle pink, Francesco?
Pink is a color that always makes me happy, Beatrice,
and Christmas is the happiest time of the year.
So, we have a pink candle to remind us
how happy everybody was on that first Christmas night
long, long ago.
Jesus' birth brought joy to the whole world.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let every sea forgive
Let every heart prepare him room
And heaven and nature sing
Francesco, what goes here in the middle?
A big, beautiful candle, especially for Jesus.
If we can find a nice candle to put there,
the wreath will be even more beautiful.
Well, my friends, I must go into the town of Assisi now.
Why?
It's a surprise for tonight.
It will be my special Christmas present for all of you to share.
A surprise?
A present?
For us?
Oh, boy.
What can it be?
Oh, tell us, Francesco.
Yes, please.
It's a surprise.
I can't tell you now.
Don't forget to come back tonight.
We'll celebrate Jesus' birthday
and thank God for sending him to live with us.
We'll be here.
Oh, dear.
Francesco's planning a big surprise for us,
but we only have fruits and nuts and honey
and beeswax to give him.
Our presents aren't very special, are they?
Maybe we can think of a way to make them more special.
Oh, I have some raisins to go with the honey and fruit and nuts
you've gathered.
The baker and Assisi can make them into a birthday cake
for the Christmas celebration tonight.
Francesco would love a fruitcake.
And we could eat some, too.
Yum, yum.
Listen, everybody.
We can take the beeswax to the candlemaker in Assisi.
She can make up a beautiful Jesus candle
to go right here in the middle.
Francesco will be so surprised.
I have an idea for another present for Francesco.
His clothes are so old and torn.
Let's give him a new robe.
But we don't have any money to buy a robe.
We can make yarn from our wool, though.
Your what?
Sheep's hair is called wool.
You can give Anthony and me a haircut
and make cloth for a robe out of our wool.
But if we cut off your hair, you'll be cold.
You can leave a little hair to keep us warm.
Mama and I'll be OK.
We have lots of hair.
That's right, Anthony.
We'd better hurry.
We have lots to do.
And our presents for Francesco must be ready by tonight.
I'll give Gabriella and Anthony their haircuts.
There.
All are finished.
Wow.
Look at all the wool we have now.
All right, everyone.
It's time to go to Assisi and make our gifts burn.
Let's go to Assisi and make our gifts for Francesco.
Ah!
Shh!
Thank you, God, for all the gifts you give us each day.
Uh, yeah.
And send Brother B and his friends safely on their way
and help Francesco with his Christmas surprise and, uh...
Look!
It's the town of Assisi.
That's a find of the tailor's shop.
What's a tailor?
That's someone who makes clothes.
We'll give the tailor our wool to make Francesco's new robe.
Maybe the tailor's shop is around this corner.
Oh, no!
Paolo, why did you stop us so fast?
He always stops too fast.
Stay back, everyone.
Francesco is across the street.
Let's go see him.
Ouch!
Mama!
No, Anthony!
If he sees us, our presents for him won't be a surprise.
Thank you for giving me these boards
and letting me borrow your burrow and wagon, Brother Carpenter.
Oh, you're welcome, Francesco.
But why do you need so many boards?
It's a special Christmas surprise.
Come to the church tonight to find out.
I'll be there.
Francesco's coming this way.
Rick, hide!
What a day, what a day
Oh, dear God, I want to say
What a wonderful...
Hmm.
What's that creaking sound?
Hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm
Hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm
Hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm
That was close.
Francesco almost saw us.
I wonder what he's making for us with those boards.
Come now, son.
We have surprises of our own to make.
And there's the tailor shop across the town square.
Let's go!
Let's go!
Good day, friends.
May I help you?
Yes, ma'am.
We've brought some wool.
Can you make a robe from this?
Oh, I certainly can.
See how I make the yarn from the wool?
Then I weave it into cloth.
It would be fun to stay and watch.
But we've got to go now.
Thank you, Sister Taylor. We'll be back.
Goodbye.
Oh, the candle-maker shop is just up the street.
Let's hurry.
Hello.
What can I do for you today?
We'd like you to make a very special Christmas candle, ma'am.
We're celebrating Jesus' birthday tonight,
and we want to surprise Francesco with a big, beautiful candle.
Hmm.
We brought wax for the candle.
It's in my saddlebags.
This is very fine wax.
Well, thank you.
I made it all by myself.
Well, with a little help from my bee buddies, of course.
Well, come back later today,
and I'll have a beautiful candle ready for you.
Look, it's Francesco again.
He's coming out of the stable with lots of straw.
I wonder what he's doing.
Come to the church tonight for the Christmas celebration.
I'll have a surprise for everyone.
I'll be there.
Christmas is such a special time.
I'll see you tonight, my friend.
Yes. Bye-bye.
Quick. Let's run to the bakery now.
Our Francesco might see us.
Welcome, my little friends.
How may I help you today?
I'd like a sweet roll.
Leopold, we're not here to eat.
We've brought some fruits and nuts and honey
to make a special fruit cake for Jesus' birthday tonight.
Yum. Yum.
Would you please bake the cake for us?
Oh, I'd love to help you, but I can't right now.
I must deliver bread to people around town.
Oh, dear. What will we do?
We have to bake the cake today.
Well, you certainly do now, don't you?
Hmm.
I know you can stay here and bake while I deliver my bread.
Can we?
Certainly. What could go wrong?
Thank you.
All right, everybody. Let's get this started.
We're making Jesus' birthday cake
with sweet things because it's fun to bake.
I wonder why someone has tried to build two snowmen here inside.
We're making Jesus' birthday cake
with sweet things because it's fun to bake.
The sugar bowl is up too high
because now I'm falling down.
Oh, my.
Here's the sugar, Mama.
We're making Jesus' birthday cake
with sweet things because it's fun to bake.
I'll turn this apple like a wheel
before it cuts the apple peel.
We're making Jesus' birthday cake
with sweet things because it's fun to bake.
I'll put a cherry in this spoon
and now I'm flying across the room.
Whoa!
Nice catch, Leopold.
We're making Jesus' birthday cake
and breaking eggs, for goodness sake.
I mix things up fast as can be.
Now I think the yolk's on me.
We're making Jesus' birthday cake
with sweet things because it's fun to bake.
Here's tasty honey from a bee.
Some for the cake
and some for me.
Leopold!
Ooh, the cake looks delicious.
Magnificent.
Perfect.
Well, the cake might look beautiful,
but this bakery is a mess.
I guess we were a little sloppy.
Oh, no.
What's wrong, Floret?
Brother Baker is coming back.
Yeah, please.
Mommy, what is this going to be?
Mmm.
I smell a wonderful Christmas cake.
Why, the bakery looks beautiful.
It's even cleaner than when I left.
And your cake for Jesus' birthday party
is very pretty.
What?
Good day, Francesco.
Hello, Brother Baker.
Where are you going with all those boards
and that straw?
It's a surprise.
Come to the church tonight
for the Christmas celebration
and you'll see.
Christmas surprise, huh?
I'll be there.
See you tonight, then.
We've got to be going, Brother Baker.
Thanks for letting us use your oven.
Goodbye, my friends.
God be with you.
Bye.
Bye, Brother Baker.
Oh, Sister Candlemaker,
have you made a candle from our beeswax?
Oh, it's a candle, all right.
A very beautiful candle.
It will light the church beautifully.
I'll see you there tonight.
Our waxes never look so pretty.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
Why, hello, my friends.
Back so soon?
Look, our robe is nearly finished.
Oh, no.
This isn't your robe.
See, I spun your wool into yarn
and colored it brown,
but I can't weave your robe today.
You can't?
I must finish this robe for another person first.
Then I can make your robe.
It'll be ready in a few days.
We hope to have it for Christmas.
I'm sorry.
Oh, that's okay.
We'll just take the yarn with us.
It's too bad Sister Taylor couldn't make the robe today.
Yes, but we still have our cake
and the Christmas candle to give Francesco.
Oh, wait a minute.
I know a way to make Francesco's new robe today.
You do?
How?
Just watch.
All right, Inesco, you take some yarn
and go up this way.
Roger.
Giselle, you go that way.
Okey dokey.
And Pietro, you and Tommaso fly in and out like this.
Okay.
Everybody else, do like I do.
Okay, let's go.
Go.
Oops, follow.
What are they doing?
They've made a robe for Francesco.
Oh, boy.
Now we have three presents for Francesco
just like the three kings brought three presents for Baby Jesus.
Christmas gifts are so much fun.
We open boxes one by one.
But here's one thing that I believe.
It's better to give than to receive.
It's better to give than to receive.
It's better to give than to receive.
It's better to give than to receive.
When I give a gift to you I'm so excited through and through
because it's as special as can be
to see your sweet smile come back to me.
I love to see you smile at me.
These Christmas gifts, one, two, and three
are for a friend from you and me.
He'll be surprised this Christmas Eve.
It's better to give than to receive.
It's better to give than to receive.
It's better, it's better to give than to receive.
You're right, Mama.
It will be fun to give these presents to Francesco.
I wonder if we'll see the Christmas star when it gets dark.
I hope so.
Whoa!
Why are we stopping, Paolo?
Listen, do you hear that?
It sounds like a little child crying.
Let's go see if we can help.
Why is your little girl crying, sir?
We're very hungry.
We have nothing to eat and no money to buy food either.
Maybe we could give them our Christmas cake.
But I gave most of the fruit I saved for winter.
And it took us a long time to bake.
It's so beautiful.
Besides, Francesco is planning a special birthday party for Jesus tonight.
We need the cake for that.
God has given us plenty to eat, Francesco too.
But these people are very hungry and need our help.
What do you think Francesco would do if he were here?
He would give the cake to those who need it more.
Then let's give the cake to them.
Yes.
Here, we want your family to have this cake.
Oh, thank you so much for sharing your food.
Now my family will have something to eat.
You're welcome. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you, friends.
I wish Francesco could have seen the cake we baked for Jesus' birthday party.
That's okay. We still have the robe and candle to give him.
Sir, you're shivering.
Yes, and it's getting colder as the sun goes down.
You'd better put on a warm robe.
I only have these old torn clothes.
Sister Taylor's shop is just up the street.
Maybe she could sell you a new robe.
I don't have any money.
Maybe we should give Francesco's new robe to this man.
He's very cold.
But Mama and I gave our wool to make the robe for Francesco.
Not him.
And my bee friends and I worked very hard to weave the robe.
Maybe we should.
Yes.
Here, sir.
Take this robe. It will keep you warm.
Oh, this is such a beautiful robe.
Thank you for sharing it with me.
I must show everyone my new robe.
Goodbye, my friends.
God be with you.
Look, I have a warm robe.
I have a warm robe.
Oh, he likes it.
That man will be warm tonight.
And we still have one surprise for Francesco.
Are you hurt, ma'am?
No, I just bumped into the table and knocked some dishes off.
It's so dark. Why don't you light a candle?
I don't have any.
Oh, what will I do?
It's so hard to see without light from a candle.
Maybe we should give this lady our candle.
But my sister and brother bees gave up all their wax to make the Christmas candle.
And if we give the candle away, we won't even have one present for Francesco.
What have we learned from Francesco?
To share what we have with others who don't have as much as we do.
Then we should give our Christmas candle to this woman.
We should.
Good lady, we would like you to take this candle.
It will light your house tonight.
Such a big candle for me?
Wow!
Oh, and it's so beautiful, too.
Oh, thank you for sharing it with me.
We must go now.
Merry Christmas to you.
And Merry Christmas to you, too.
God bless you all.
Our little friend shared their Christmas presents for Francesco with needy people.
They look so sad.
I wish there was some way we could help.
Yes.
I thought Christmas was supposed to be a happy time.
I'm sad.
Me, too.
First we gave away our surprises for Francesco, and now I can't see the Christmas star anywhere in the sky.
Long ago in Bethlehem, a special baby came
To live among us here on earth, and Jesus was His name
He was the very Son of God, born upon that night
And over all the countryside, a bright star shed its light
Christmas star, oh Christmas star, pointing out the way
Showing people near and far where the baby lay
But tonight, this Christmas Eve, the sky looks dark and bare
I wish we'd see the Christmas star
Is it still up there?
Would it light the countryside?
Would it show the way
To the barn in Bethlehem where baby Jesus lay?
Christmas star, oh Christmas star, twinkling oh so bright
Where oh where's that Christmas star shining down tonight?
Christmas star, oh Christmas star, twinkling oh so bright
Where oh where's the Christmas star
Shining down tonight?
Maybe it's just hiding behind the clouds.
Don't worry, I'm sure we'll see the Christmas star tonight.
I hope so.
There's San Damiano Church. Francesco will be happy to see us.
I still wish we had some Christmas presents for him.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Oh my friends, I didn't see you coming.
I knew you'd be the first to arrive for our Christmas celebration.
But you all look so, so sad.
Christmas is one of the most wonderful days that God has made.
Let's be happy together.
Francesco, we know you have a surprise for us.
So we wanted to surprise you too.
Oh?
We made three Christmas presents, especially for you.
Three presents? For me?
But we don't have them anymore.
Did you lose them?
No.
Did they break?
No.
Brother Francesco, something very special has happened tonight.
We had no food.
And some loving brothers and sisters gave us a delicious cake to eat.
We've come to thank God for the gift of food we received.
That's wonderful.
Brother Francesco, I've come to celebrate Jesus' birthday
and to thank God for a gift I was given tonight.
A gift?
Yes. My clothes were old and torn and I was very cold.
But some nice brothers and sisters came along
and gave me this beautiful robe to keep me warm.
It is a beautiful robe.
We'll all thank God together.
Francesco!
What, good sister?
My house was dark and I had no money for candles.
Then some kind sisters and brothers gave me this Christmas candle
and its light helped me find my way to the church
to thank God for giving me light.
We'll thank God and celebrate Jesus' birthday together.
Look, your wreath is missing the Christmas candle in the middle.
This will look beautiful there.
It's perfect.
You shared the gifts you made for me with these people, didn't you?
Uh-huh.
Then you've given me the greatest gift anyone could give a friend.
We did?
What's that?
You gave your love and shared it with other people who needed it,
just like God did when Jesus was born on that first Christmas night.
My friends, I love you very much and so does God.
No, Francesco.
The Christmas candle does look beautiful in the wreath,
but we don't have a birthday cake for Jesus now.
And you'll have to keep wearing this old robe with all the holes.
Oh, I think this robe I just made will fit Francesco.
And this cake will help us celebrate Jesus' birthday quite nicely.
Yummy.
Love cake for everyone after all.
Mmm.
Francesco, here comes Sister Candlemaker.
And other people from town.
Wow, look at all their candles.
Whoa.
Thank you for coming, my friends.
Tonight is Christmas when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus, God's Son.
I have a special surprise for all of you.
Follow me.
Whoa.
Francesco's made it born just like the one in Bethlehem.
And there's a bed of straw, like baby Jesus slept in that first Christmas.
Oh, that night was so special.
It was very quiet, just like tonight.
It was a silent night.
Silent night, holy night.
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Look, there's the Christmas star.
And it's shining over our little barn just like it did on the night when Jesus was born.
Tonight we're singing happy songs of praise to God's own Son.
The baby Jesus lived on earth and loved us every one.
On that holy Christmas Eve while shepherds knelt to pray.
The Christmas star shined overhead to show we came the way.
Christmas star, oh Christmas star.
Twinkling oh so bright.
There oh there's the Christmas star lighting us tonight.
Christmas star, oh Christmas star.
Shining from the start.
There oh there's the Christmas star lighting up my heart.
Lighting up, lighting up my heart.
Welcome sister Christmas star.
Happy birthday Jesus.
All things bright and beautiful. All creatures fit and small. All things bright and wonderful.
Oh Lord God, oh Lord God, give them all.
All things bright and wonderful. Oh Lord God, oh Lord God, give them all.
All things bright and wonderful. Oh Lord God, oh Lord God, give them all.
Thank you.