These stories—like your favorite Christmas ornaments—come in all shapes and sizes.

They unfold in a variety of settings, from ancient Bethlehem to rural England. From a small Texas town to the heavenly realms. Some are short. Others many chapters long. Some offer reflections. Others imagine Christmas through the eyes of a burnt-out candle maker, a lonely business man, or angels.

Yet all are vintage Lucado, and all resonate with the wonder of the season.

"In the mystery of Christmas," Max writes, "we find its majesty. The mystery of how God became flesh, why he chose to come, and how much he must love his people. Such mysteries can never be solved, just as love can never be diagrammed. Christmas is best pondered, not with logic, but imagination."

That's what each of these unique Christmas stories helps us do. In the midst of the bustle and hurry that often distract us this time of year, these stories free us to explore the ways in which Christ's coming has forever changed history—and us.