Illustration: Southern Christmas

The man was driving through a small, southern town when he came across a nativity scene that showed great skill and talent, but there was one feature that didn't make sense: The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets.

Unable to come up with a reason or explanation, the visitor stopped in a nearby convenience store and asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets. She replied, "You Yankees don't read the Bible much, do you?"

The man assured her that he did read the Bible, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible. She promptly educated him as she observed: "It says right in the Bible, 'The three wise man came from afar.'"