Introduction: Several questions and or ideas that could be use for Christmas:

Words highlighted could be other subjects to create

1. Why is there Christmas & who celebrates it?

2. What Symbols Represent Christmas and Why?

Now for younger children an educator could run through each question a day or two question weekly. Using information below:

For older students you may want to break them down to groups and give them ways to find out all the information they can for their question, by also giving information below for each question.

Let each group educate the other students by web quest, power point, plays, or maybe even a movie. The more creative the students can be-the more they will learn.

  1. 1. Why is there Christmas & who celebrates it?

The origin of Christmas dates back to a small babe born in a manger in Bethlehem. Although the exact month is unknown, historians believe that Jesus Christ was born on the 25th day of the month; they just do not exactly know which month. Early His birth is in the springtime.

Due to the closeness of December to the Roman Winter Solstice, Catholic leaders used December as the date of celebration in order to compete with other ancient Pagan holidays that celebrated during that time of the year. Religious historians assumed that Christmas started by the early church in the Roman Empire as early as the 4th Century. More recently, it was not until 1870 that President Ulysses S. Grant formally made Christmas a federal holiday in the United States.

Christians celebrate Christmas around the world. A Christian is someone who believes that Jesus Christ is God’s son. As Christianity expanded to the western world, the tradition of Christmas followed it. Many of the Europeans who fled Europe during the 16th century brought their Christmas traditions with them to the New World and passed on the traditions of Christmas to their ancestors. Many of these traditions are carried on today in our society. It is estimated that over 400 million people around the world celebrate Christmas today. Although the meaning of Christmas is rooted in a religious observance, there is many non-Christians who celebrate the commercialized version of the holiday season that includes Santa Claus, Christmas trees, wreaths and mistletoe. This has lent many non-Christian groups to embrace the holiday season and participate in the gift giving of the season, although it is not necessarily part of their religious celebration.

Essentially, Christmas is a massive birthday party that is celebrated by the religious community as a celebration to the birth of God’s son. Throughout the centuries, the image of Jesus Christ is replaced with Christmas trees and Santa Claus, but the origin of the holiday remains the same. The reason Christmas is such a popular holiday stems back to the Bible and the story of Jesus’ birth in a manger in Bethlehem.

Ideas for questions:

1. How many years has Christmas been a US Federal Holiday?

a. 250 years

b. 139 years

c. 75 years

d. 500 years

2. Which religion would not generally celebrate Christmas

a. Jewish

b. Catholic

c. Baptist

d. Christian

3. Why is it estimated the Christmas is celebrated in December?

a. Because it is cold enough for snow

b. Because you can ride sleighs and make snowmen

c. Because that is when historian KNOW Jesus was born

d. Because it corresponds with the Winter Solstice & Ancient holidays.

4. How many people worldwide estimated to celebrate Christmas?

a. 400

b. 4,000,000

c. 40,000

d. 4000

e. 400,000

5. How did the tradition of Christmas move from other countries into the United States?

a. Through the mail

b. Through television media that depicted the holiday in other countries.

c. Through early settlers to the New World

d. Through generations of people

Other Ideas for questions:

1. Explain why you think it was smart or not smart of ancient religions to celebrate the Christmas holiday during the winter months.

Why do you think that the Church wanted to compete with Pagan holidays?

2. Imagine your hometown during the holidays. How do you think that non-Christians feel about all the religious decorations that are

all over the place?

3. Is it fair to decorate for Christmas but not for other special holidays like Hanukkah?

4. Why do you think that it took so long for a President to federally declare Christmas a holiday? Use what you know about early   American history to answer this question.

5. Give your explanation of why Christmas is often abbreviated as X-Mas.

6. Explain what is meant in the passage “commercialized” version of Christmas?

Do you and your family celebrate a commercialized Christmas?

7. What does Christmas mean to you?

Answer Key: 1. b 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. c

  1. 2. What Symbols Represent Christmas and Why?

Christmas season is upon us there are many effects that indicate the holiday. Traditionally, you begin to see decorations in the form of wreaths, mistletoe, poinsettias, red and green tinsel, angels, Christmas trees, lights and of course Santa Claus right after the,

Thanksgiving holidays. Although most of these do not have a correlation with the birth of Jesus Christ, they still are symbols of the holidays. Many of them have specific meanings that make them a special part of the Christmas Season.

Have you wondered how mistletoe made its way to the Christmas scene? Today if you are standing under the

mistletoe it means you are supposed to kiss the person next to you. This tradition originated from ancient civilizations that believed mistletoe would ward off evil or bad things from happening. In order to do this they would hang the mistletoe on the entrances to their home. Similarly, that is how the tradition of wreaths hanging on the front door of a house got started.

Tinsel also has an interesting background. There is an old legend that says parents had decorated their Christmas tree on Christmas Eve in order to surprise their children. During the night, spiders weaved webs all over the tree and when the Christmas angel came and saw it; he turned the cobwebs into silver tinsel.

It is very common to see angels used for decorations and ornaments during Christmas. The angels are significant because they represent the angels that told of the birth in the historical story of the nativity. This is also true for decorations that depict donkeys, cows, Shepherd’s men or sheep; as all of these were present at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

Christmas would not be Christmas without Santa and the reindeer. According to the Dutch tradition where a real man used to give gifts to children who left wooden shoes outside their door. His name was Saint Nicholas and he is the basis for the idea behind Santa today. The real Saint Nicholas said, to have traveled by a sleigh pulled by reindeer on Christmas Eve.

The reason that the Christmas tree has become a main stream Christmas symbol is because the Pagans believed that decorating the Evergreen or Fir tree ensured that winter would end. This corresponds with the celebrations of the Winter Solstice. The same is true for holly, and it was a Pagan tradition to hang holly throughout their house as a reminder that the sun would soon return. Many of the ancient religions decorated the trees with real candles thus evolving into the tradition of trimming the Christmas tree.

The tradition of baking Christmas cookies actually dates back to Roman times. The Romans would give delicious baked goods to the Senators during the Christmas celebration as a way to show gratitude. Gift giving was also common as a way to celebrate the season and spread joy and is why we still give gifts today. Remember that the Three Wise men recorded as bringing gifts to Jesus when he was born.

What Symbols Represent Christmas & Why

1. Why was the Evergreen or Fir tree used rather than other vegetation?

a. It was readily available

b. It remained green throughout the year

c. They were smaller than other trees

d. Because of the way they smelled

2. What does the word “correlation” mean in the above passage?

a. made of sea coral

b. opposite

c. relationship or link

d. an indication of health

3. Which tradition originated from the Romans and Senators?

a. Wreaths

b. Trees

c. Santa Claus

d. Christmas Cookies

e. Both a and c

4. Which Christmas tradition is supposed to bring good fortune?

a. Presents

b. Mistletoe

c. Wreaths

d. Reindeer

e. B & C

5. What is a synonym for the word “mainstream?”

a. Rare

b. Unusual

c. Water Source

d. Common

1. Think about all the symbols of Christmas. Which one is your favorite and why?

2. Christmas has definitely evolved overtime. Why do you think it went from a purely religious celebration to what it is today?

3. Why do you think that the tradition of placing candles on the tree is no longer done? What has replaced it?

4. The symbol of stockings is not discussed. Why would be a good reason that stockings became part of the Christmas tradition?

5. What sort of problems do you think could arise from being born in a stable?

6. Is the tradition of gift giving during Christmas time favorable or not? Explain your answer.

7. How would you feel about Christmas if there were no presents under the tree on Christmas morning?

8. Can you think of other holidays similar to Christmas that is celebrated around the same time of the year by other religions?

Answer Key: 1. b 2. c 3. d 4. e 5. d

Other ideas:

A Cookie exchange for Christmas Parties.

Begin a Classroom Tradition with Christmas

Pajama party with milk and cookies