By Denise George
Special to The Alabama Baptist
The traditional symbols of the Christmas season provide the perfect tools for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and others to teach children about Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. By simply pausing at an opportune moment in the midst of busy everyday lives, Christian adults can use everyday Christmas symbols to help explain theological truths, biblical beliefs and church history to teach children in fun, memorable and creative ways.
Here are some suggestions for using Christmas symbols to present teachable moments for the little learners in your life:
Birth and death of Christ
The candy cane: Legend tells us that an old candy maker designed the candy cane to teach children about the birth (Isa. 7:14), life (Matt. 20:28) and death of Christ (Heb. 1:1–3). The stick of white candy represents purity — the virgin birth and the sinless life Jesus lived. Shaped like a staff, it reminds us of the cane-holding shepherds who came from the fields to worship the infant Christ (Luke 2:8–12). The red stripes represent the suffering Christ endured and His sacrificial death (John 3:16).
Angels: Angels had an important place in the birth of Christ. Angel Gabriel told Mary about her pregnancy (Luke 1:26–38); angels announced Christ’s birth to shepherds in the fields (Luke 2:8); and angels appeared in the sky giving glory to God (Luke 2:13–14).
Lights and candles: Early Christmas trees were lit with candles to represent Jesus, “the light of the world,” coming into a dark world (John 1:1–5). In 1895, American telephonist Ralph Morris invented the first electric Christmas tree lights because of the number of fires lit candles were causing.
Stars: The star of Bethlehem guided the three wise men to the baby Jesus (Luke 2:1–12), who gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Isa. 60:6). These three gifts were given to kings in ancient times. Gold was a precious metal. Frankincense was an expensive perfume that also had medicinal uses and myrrh was used as an anointing oil.
The Evergreen Fir tree: Becoming popular in the early Middle Ages, Christians used Evergreen trees to represent the love and mercy of God. The tree’s branches and needles point to heaven, a Christian’s eternal home. The Evergreen’s color, remaining green throughout the year and even in the dead of winter, represents everlasting life. Early Christmas trees were decorated with apples, gingerbread, sweets and candles.
St. Nicholas: The bishop of Myra (now Turkey) felt compassion for poor children in his community, so he gave them anonymous gifts. One legend tells of St. Nicholas secretly dropping gold coins in the socks hung to dry overnight by a poor family’s fireplace. When the children woke up the next morning, they were surprised and delighted with the gold-stuffed stockings. “Santa Claus” is the symbol associated with the compassionate, kind and generous St. Nicholas. In 1822, Clement Moore wrote the poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” and helped to bring the modern whimsical character of “Santa” to life.
Celebrating Jesus’ birth
Christmas gifts: The custom of giving gifts during the celebration of Christ’s birth became popular during the lifetime of German reformer Martin Luther in the 16th century. These gifts were given anonymously and sometimes hidden for children to search for and find. Wrapping gifts in layers and layers of colorful paper was an old Danish custom.
This Christmas, as families get together and engage in seasonal activities to celebrate Christ’s birth, adults can use the simple symbols of Christmas to provide teachable moments to help younger family members better understand the true reason for the season.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Denise George (www.denisegeorge.org) is the author of 30 books and is married to Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham.
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