Luke 1 tells two stories of angel encounters: The first is to Zechariah who found himself at earth's end and desperate for a miracle. The other is to Mary in the midst of mundane, everyday life. In the Christmas story, however, BOTH receive a miracle: the MIRACULOUS IN THE MOMENT OF NEED and the MIRACULOUS IN THE MUNDANE. Christmas is miraculous because Heaven came down to Earth when God became a baby in Jesus.