One of my favorite animated movies of all time is the 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty. With its stunning scenery, iconic music, and a princess who dons a pink gown, it’s been a beloved movie of mine since childhood. In the opening scene, royalty, powerful fairies, and other important people in the kingdom are ushered into the palace to celebrate the birth and christening of Princess Aurora. And as we all know, things go awry when an uninvited evil fairy shows up to the celebration.

While Sleeping Beauty is a fictional fairy tale, the pomp and circumstance of this beginning scene is likely what we imagine when a new baby is born to a member of royalty or influence. Sure, we may not necessarily expect waving banners or hailing the new child in song, but we do expect the family to be surrounded by powerful and important friends and allies as they welcome their newborn progeny.

However, when the King of the universe came down to earth and was born in human flesh, there was no pomp and circumstance. Banners weren’t waved, and the newborn Son was not serenaded by a little drummer boy, despite what the song says. The little family was visited by two different groups of people during Jesus’ infanthood, but they were not exactly the types of people you might expect to show up for such an occasion.