Hobbies And Interests
The Christian History
For Christians, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ; God who became man and came to die for every person in the world. The story of Jesus' birth may be found in the New Testament of the Christian Bible in the books Matthew, Luke and John. Traditionally, children in churches act out the "nativity" (story of Jesus' birth) in a play. Other interactive activities may include visiting a sheep farm to learn about the shepherds who worshiped and guarded the baby, or to let them smell oils or perfumes scented with frankincense and myrrh, to make real the story of the wise men who brought gifts to the new baby. Visiting a Planetarium and telling about the star the wise men followed to find Jesus is one more interactive and education game.
The Origin of Santa Claus
The original Saint Nicholas lived in the area now known as Turkey in the fourth century. The different Father Christmas and Santa Claus stories developed from this one historical man. The first traditional story tells that Nicholas threw a bag of gold into the stocking (hanging by the fire to dry) of a poor young girl. This money gave the girl a dowry for her marriage. Saint Nicholas repeated this gift with the girl's two younger sisters. Some stories tell that the money was thrown through a window, others down the chimney. Give children a fun game to remember this story. Hang stockings up and let kids try to toss a bag of coins into the stockings for a prize. Vary the difference from the stockings based on the ages and abilities of the children.
Different Cultures with Different Celebrations
Teach kids about how different cultures celebrate Christmas by having them act out the traditions. For instance, a girl may dress up in white, representing Saint Lucia, just like the custom in Sweden. The kids may tie a sheaf of grain to a pole and put it outside for birds to eat, imitating one tradition in Finland. They may act out an Iraqi Christmas celebration by singing hymns around a bonfire (which could be a pile of sticks decorated with yellow and red tissue paper flames) and then walk in a processional line following the "Bishop" who carries a scarlet cushion with an image of the infant Jesus. The ceremony ends with the Bishop blessing all the people. Another interactive idea: either prepare traditional Christmas foods from different countries, or teach the children to cook them and then have a multicultural Christmas feast. Christmas traditions and foods vary with all the countries in the world (see Resources for websites describing the different customs), and possibilities for cultural games are plentiful.
The Significance of the Symbols
Why do we have Christmas trees and hang mistletoe? Why are bells symbols of Christmas? What does an advent wreath signify? All the symbols of Christmas have origins. Teach kids about the pagan meanings behind the evergreen Christmas trees, Holly and Mistletoe symbolizing the hope for the end of winter and perseverance of life with lessons about what European religion and culture looked like before Christianity. Tell about the Christian meaning behind bells; reminders of Church bells ringing to call people to Christmas mass. Let children draw pictures of the different symbols and talk about what personal meanings the symbols have for them. The church tradition of advent wreaths, lighting another candle each week in anticipation of Christ's birth, may be shown to children with an actual advent wreath.