The Christmas story is one that the average person is very familiar with. Many people have grown up seeing it in nativity scenes, reading about it in books, or hearing about it in church.

The Chapel in Akron is gathering for their  44th annual Christmas concert, “The Spirit of Christmas,” to celebrate Jesus’ birth and individual Christmas stories. Five performances will be taking place between Friday, Dec. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 13.

The concert will highlight four spirits of Christmas that weave their way into Christmas memories: tradition, hope, grace, and love.

The tradition of celebrating this day has made it one of the most widely-celebrated holidays in the world.

While so much of the Christmas season is spent giving and receiving gifts, many Christians believe that the greatest gift of all was the gift of hope in Jesus Christ.

It is during Christmas time that people are seen giving their time, money, and gifts to others freely, as a response to all that they have been given. The spirit of grace becomes visible during Christmas time through these acts of kindness.

The concert at The Chapel will be celebrating God, and the sacrifice he made by sending Jesus to die on the cross, to defeat sin and death once and for all and to save his people from eternal separation from God.

The final spirit of Christmas is one that embodies personal response to the amazing Christmas story: love. Taking part in traditions, spending time with family, and the giving of gifts are all ways to express love to those around others

Ticket information can be found at thechapel.life/Christmas.