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During the season of Advent, four weeks before Christmas,
we look forward to, and prepare for, the birth of Jesus.
The season of Christmas is a celebration of the birthday
of Jesus Christ.
The story of the Nativity begins on Christmas Eve, when
Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, found that all
the inns were full and that they had to stay in a poor
stable. Then on Christmas morning the baby, Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, was born. Read
the Christmas Story.
The word Christmas (or Christ's Mass) comes from the
Old English word Cristes
Mæsse which means the 'mass, or service,
of Christ'.
It is believed that Christ was born on the 25th, although
the exact month is unknown. |
December was probably
chosen so the Catholic Church could compete with rival
pagan rituals held at that time of year and because
of its closeness with the winter solstice in the Northern
hemisphere, a traditional time of celebration among
many ancient cultures.
It is now believed that Jesus was born between 7BC and
4BC. Around 350 years after Jesus's birth, Pope Julius
1 chose 25 December as the date of the Nativity. (The
years BC are those before the birth of Christ and the
years AD are those after Christ's birth, from the Latin
Anno Domini meaning
'in the year of our Lord'.) |
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Christmas services at St. James's
include Midnight Mass, Christmas morning Parish Communion
and a very popular Crib Service for the children.
Members of the congregation sign a giant Christmas card
to send each other greetings for Christmas. The Church
is always beautifully decorated at Christmas with a
Nativity Stable, Christmas tree and appropriate flower
and green arrangements. |
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The church colour
for Christmas is white. The frontal on the altar, the
altar cloths, the pulpit fall and the Bible book mark
are changed to match the colour of the priest's robes.
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The
abbreviation for Christmas to Xmas comes from the Greek
alphabet. The use of the letter X is not new, it was
widely used from the mid-15th century. X is the letter
Chi, which is the first letter of Christ's name in the
Greek alphabet.
The correct pronunciation for the word ‘Xmas’
is ‘Christmas’, just as if the word were
written out in full. Xmas is NOT ex-mas! |
During Advent, the weeks leading
up to Christmas
Day, we send Christmas
cards to and prepare Christmas presents for friends
and family and go to carol
services and nativity plays. We decorate our homes and
churches with Christmas
trees, evergreen leaves like holly, ivy and mistletoe,
other pretty decorations and lights. On Christmas Day
we give and receive presents. Many families gather together
and eat a special meal, often a roast turkey or other
bird, followed by a Christmas
pudding. |
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Father Christmas is also known as
Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas. You will know him
as a big, round, red-cheeked, joyous, old gentleman
who delivers Christmas gifts clad in black boots and
a red and white suit. The origin of Santa Claus begins
in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of
Myra, an area in present day Turkey. He was known
to be a a kind and generous man, particularly devoted
to children. He became the patron saint of Russia,
where he was known by his red cape, flowing white
beard, and bishop's mitre. Find out more - Father
Christmas.
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The day after Christmas Day is called Boxing
Day. This name comes from the old English custom
of giving food and money, Christmas boxes, to the
less fortunate members of the parish on St. Stephen's
Day, the day after Christmas. Gifts were also given
to tradespeople and servants on this day.
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Things
to do at Christmas |
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• Print out and fill in our Christmas
Quiz. The answers can be found on this page
(and some from the links above) but you have to
search for them!
• Print out and colour in the line drawing
of the mosaic in our church - Mother
and Child.
• Print out, colour in and complete the
Maze
where the shepherds are looking for the Baby Jesus.
• Print out and colour in the line drawing
of the Christmas
Story.
• Print out and complete the Christmas
Spot The Difference.
• Print out and complete the Christmas
Word Search 1, Christmas
Word Search 2 and Christmas
Word Search 3.
• Look at Christmas
Around the World.
• Look at the page Nativity
Scene where you can build your own nativity
scene by dragging and dropping the characters
into the stable.
• Try a selection of Christmas puzzles and
colouring pictures on the pages Christmas
Activities.
• Find out about Christmas
Day, Christmas
cards, Christmas
trees, Christmas
carols, mistletoe,
Christmas
pudding and Boxing
Day.
• Look at the pages Christmas
which includes the Story, Christmas Today, Question
Game, Think and Discuss, Make a Picture, Pairs
and Jigsaw. They are interactive games, activities,
and more with some at different levels and some
with one or more players.
• Learn all about the following things about
Christmas:
Boxing Day, Christmas Cards, Christmas Carols,
Christmas Crackers, Christmas Day, Christmas Dinner,
Christmas Eve, Christmas Facts, Christmas Jokes,
Christmas Plants, Christmas Trees, Decorations,
Father Christmas, Meaning of Christmas, Memories,
Mince Pies, Mummers, Plays, Nativity Pantomimes,
Santa Claus, Stir Up Sunday, Top Ten Toys, Twelfth
Night, Twelve Days of Christmas, Wassailing and
Yule Log.
• A simple story about the first Christmas
for young children can be found on the pages Christmas.
• Read this lovely story about Santa explaining
the symbols of Christmas - The
True Meaning of Christmas.
• Explore the story of the birth of Jesus
online here at this feature created by the Metropolitan
Museum of Art at the pages The
Christmas Story. This is for older children.
• Find out how Christmas is celebrated
Around the World.
• Have a go at the on-line Christmas
Picture Quiz.
• Look at our Puzzles
& Activities page where there are links
into other sites.
• Look at our Bible
Stories page.
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