When it comes to writing, first-time author Alastair Macdonald is nothing if not tenacious.

He is also a man of extraordinary patience and dedication who, when he believes in a project, is prepared to do whatever it takes to see it through.

Some might say his book, 'First Christmas', was a long time coming, but no-one would argue that it is well worth the wait.

Handsomely produced, the ruby red cloth cover is embossed with gold lettering and filigree, and features a hand-tipped image by Egyptian Coptic artist Adel Nassief.

Mr. Nassief's beautiful, full-colour artwork also illustrates the text opposite each page, and brings it vividly to life. The stock is thick and rich, and the page numbers and the inside covers are printed in gold, as is the first letter of each page.

As the title indicates, the story is of Christ's birth as told by Zeke the donkey in poetry form. The rhythm is inspired by 'The Night Before Christmas' and Dr. Zeuss, which combines simplicity with a lovely 'gait', which makes it attractive to, and easily assimilable by, children and adults alike — even those who are not particularly religious, or have no religious affiliation at all.

Like any 'parent' who has given birth after a long gestation, Mr. Macdonald is quietly proud of his labour of love, which has been in the making for almost 25 years.

The impetus for 'First Christmas' arose from his unsuccessful search for a picture book telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ which he could read to his children.

"I wanted to create a story that would become a family tradition, which parents could share with their children every Christmas — a story that would help to bring Christ back into Christmas," he said.

"We had recently returned to Bermuda after living in Canada for over ten years, and I was on a business trip in early December. I remember looking through the children's books and being surprised at the limited selection. There were myriad attractive books on Santa Claus, Christmas trees, reindeer and other 'Christmas-like things', but very little on the actual story of Christmas.

"I found a few books stashed away on the lower shelves, but none of them appealed to me. Some were very juvenile, and meant for very young children. Others told a small part of the story. Some were illustrated with cartoon characters, and others with that anglicised look where all of the characters appear to be from Des Moines, who have grown a beard and put on Middle Eastern garb.

"I was really disappointed. I had wanted this book to try and distract my children from their growing focus on gifts, toys and Santa, and I had hoped to read this story to them on Christmas Eve to quieten their spirits and instill in them the real wonder of Christmas."

Not that Mr. Macdonald is averse to what he calls "the trappings of Christmas" — Santa Claus, reindeer, and the like — he simply felt there should be more balance between those and people sharing the real story of Christmas.

On the journey home, he could not put aside his surprise that the type of book he was looking for did not exist. Surely, he reasoned, the story of Jesus' birth was one of the most beloved of all time.

Sacred music and carols had been composed, and paintings of the story had been created, yet no book had been written which he felt caught people's imagination. As a father who had witnessed the birth of his two children, he felt there was nothing more wonderful. Given Jesus' impact on the world, His birth was even more wondrous.

Mr. Macdonald compared the sacred story to that of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus, in Clement Moore's iconic 1822 poem, 'The Night Before Christmas' — ironically written by that father for his children — which had been wonderfully illustrated in many books. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that the book he envisaged was needed.

"I knew I couldn't be the only parent who wanted such a book, so I decided there and then that I was going to write this book, and it would be a poem to rival 'The Night Before Christmas'," he said.

Another surprise — the second of many — came when the author turned to the Bible and was struck by how scant and limited the story of Jesus' birth was.

It told little about Joseph and It told little about Joseph and Mary, their personalities and characters, yet it was surprisingly complex: there was the prophesy of the event, spiritual intervention with the immaculate conception, a potential scandal with Mary's out-of-wedlock pregnancy, visits at various times by angels, a Roman proclamation concerning the census, with the resulting travel to Bethlehem and the birth of a child in a stable. Was it possible that the story's complexity was the reason why it had not been well told?

"That was one problem, but finding a narrator for my story was an entirely bigger problem," Mr. Macdonald added. "I thought of using Mary and Joseph, but they were too central to the story, so I needed a third party — someone who could have observed all of the events. No-one came to mind. Then suddenly, out of the blue, I thought, 'Why not have a donkey as the narrator?' "

The foundation stone was laid: the story would be told from the unique perspective of Zeke, Joseph's trusty and hardworking donkey, and written in poetic verse (anapestic tetrameter), using the same upbeat rhyming rhythm of 'The Night Before Christmas', and much of the poetry of Dr. Seuss.

"I would like to tell you that the poetry came easily, but it didn't," Mr. Macdonald confesses. "For many years I barely got past the first verse. Every Christmas I would pick up the poem and start to write it, and at the end of Christmas I would put it away again until I had more inspiration."

In fact, the poem became a family joke whenever he mentioned it. Meanwhile, the years passed with it sitting in the bottom of the author's desk drawer — so many years, in fact, that his children grew up in the interim.

Then, five years ago came news of a rhyming dictionary website which ended the creative drought.

"In the past I had bought rhyming dictionaries, but I always found them difficult to use," Mr. Macdonald added. "The beauty of an online rhyming dictionary was that the results were instantaneous, and I could test various ideas quickly and easily. That day I pulled out my poem and started writing. Within two weeks it was basically done, although it needed a lot of editing."

Next came exploration of ideas for illustrations. Initially, the author turned to his daughter Heather, an art student at university, but she had difficulty creating a non-cartoon-like donkey, so in desperation Mr. Macdonald Googled 'nativity' pictures on the internet. Approximately 152,000 choices came up.

Two hours later, and just as he was about to give up, he happened upon a painting of the nativity by an Egyptian artist, Adel Nassief, which was striking in its use of colour and golf leaf.

"The figures had an almost primitive quality about them, and a simplicity which really appealed to me. Most of all, the painting had a genuineness about it. It treated its subject with respect and caring, and I was really taken with it," the author says.

From Mr. Nassief's website, he learned that the Egyptian was a Coptic Christian specialising in that genre of art. The Egyptian Coptic Church is one of the oldest Christian churches, whose ancient traditions include the decoration of churches and home with icons, and pictures illustrating Biblical stories and characters.

"In the Coptic Christian tradition, the painting of an icon is a spiritual experience. The artist must be a true believer, and I became fascinated by the spiritual nature of this art," Mr. Macdonald says.

The author had found his illustrator. Thus began an incredible, three-year working relationship conducted by e-mail, since the artist spoke little English, during which Mr. Nassief was commissioned to paint 21 Coptic icons telling the story of Jesus' birth, using the traditional method of tempura paint and gold leaf on wood board.

"Seeing the icons for the first time was an amazing experience," Mr. Macdonald says. "Adel's work went well beyond my expectations, and made my words come alive in a way that I never expected. He is very spiritual, and one of the kindest, sweetest people you can know. The poems and pictures seemed perfectly blended."

Today, the author sums up 'The Christmas Story' as "a gentle book that tells the story of two brave people, Mary and Joseph. As I wrote the poem, I tried to put myself in their shoes and imagine what it would have been like to travel the paths that they travelled. As a father, I understand their sense of wonderment at the birth of their child, Jesus. I have tried to get this across in my poem: two very human people dealing with life's unexpected burdens with extraordinary grace."

Of the long journey to publication, Mr. Macdonald believes he has been touched by divine inspiration along the way, and views the project as one of "continuing great blessings".

His initial meeting with Lena Tabori, owner of Welcome Books who gave it an instant 'thumbs-up', was pure happenstance, as was discovering the church in mid-town Manhattan where Mr. Nassief's original art will be exhibited from November 27 to January 6; noted translator Yanitzia Canetti, who had extensive experience in translating Dr. Seuss books into Spanish; and even the author's contractor, whose enthusiasm led to him to take orders for 16 books.

"Doors keep opening. It is really quite extraordinary, and I keep wondering where it is going to take me," the author and Bermuda resident marvels. "Although I am a committed Christian, and going to church is an important part of my life, most people would be surprised that I did this book because that is not a visible part of my persona."

Nevertheless, 'The Christmas Story' is already a winner. Submitted by Welcome Books to the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards, it received a gold medal in the 'Holiday' category.

l Mr. Nassief's original art is being exhibited over the Christmas period at St. Peter's Church at 54th and Lexington in mid-town Manhattan, when both author and artist will be present for the official opening on December 1.

l An identical edition, 'Primera Navidad', is published in Spanish. It is available online, but not in local bookstores. However, Mr. Macdonald has 24 copies. To purchase e-mail amacdonald@ibl.bm

• There is also a DVD of the story, made for the Bermuda market only. Narrated by Bermudian Dal Tucker, it is available at the Bermuda Book Store and the Bookmart. A taste of the DVD can be found on www.godtube.com, where it has had over 12,000 'hits' to date. Click on 'Christmas' and the DVD is No.1 on the list. It is also on www.youtube.com/user/seekthedonkey

• 'The First Christmas' retails in Bermuda for $28. It is sold at the Bookmart and Bermuda Bookstore, and is also available at online bookstores. The author will be present for book signings at the Bermuda Book Store tomorrow from 12 noon to 3:30 p.m.

The book is published by Welcome Books, and distributed by Random House. For further information see website www.firstchristmas.net