This is my neighborhood!
Isn't It Great!
TThis is my little snowman
family!
Well look! There's SANTA
CLAUS!
There are many stories of how
the legend of Santa Claus
began. My favorite story
says that the modern Santa finds
his origin in a young pastor
named Nicholas. His parents
died when he was still a boy,
leaving him a fortune. He
loved the Lord and cared deeply
for those in need. Not
wanting to receive any glory
himself, he went secretly,
during the night, to the homes
of poor families. There he
left gifts and money because
of his love for Christ!
The Candy Cane
The Candy cane represents
one of the oldest symbols of
Christmas, the shepherd's
crook, for the shepherds were
among the first to experience
that first Christmas. The
colors of the candy cane
have special meaning, too. The
wide red stripe represents
the sacrifice of Christ, "For by
his stripes we are healed."
The narrow red stripes
represent our own sacrifices
(giving). The white stripe is a
symbol of purity.
The peppermint plant is a member of the
hyssop family, referred
to in the Old Testament as a
medicinal herb used for
cleansing. As you eat your candy
cane, you might want to
break it, as Christ's body was
broken for you, and share
it with a friend, thus sharing in
the sweetness of the true
meaning of Christmas.
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree, which
is an evergreen with it's
boughs stretched toward
heaven, reminds us of the
everlasting life that Christ
came to bring sinners. The
candles or lights on the
tree remind us that Jesus is the
light of the world.
This surely is what Martin Luther
envisioned back in 1535
when he cut and decorated the
first Christmas tree for
his children. Prince Albert carried
the Christmas tree custom
from Germany to Windsor
Castle in 1841. Ten
years later, a Cleveland minister was
accused of sacrilege and
idolatry when he put up the first
American tree. But
a young child saw it right. "Mother", he
whispered, "the pastor's
got a tree from heaven!"
Holly Leaf
The holly leaves and berries
from the holly bush are
widely used in holiday decorations.
The sharp pointy
edges of the holy leaf remind
us of the crown of thorns
that Jesus wore upon his
brow. The red berries remind us
of the blood that Jesus
shed.
Mistletoe
The tradition of kissing
underneath the mistletoe began
with a Scandinavian goddess
called Frigga. Frigga's son
Balder was shot with an
arrow made of mistletoe. While
Frigga's friends conjured
up powers to save the boy, his
mother cried tears that
became the white berries on the
mistletoe. Frigga's
friends succeeded in saving Balder's
life. Frigga ordered
that the mistletoe should never again
be used to harm others.
Instead, she made it a symbol of
love by kissing everyone
who passed under it.
Christmas Carols
Not all songs that we sing
at Christmas time are carols.
Most songs sung in church
or by church choirs are
actually hymns. Centuries
ago, a carol was a group dance
accompanied by a joyful
song. Gradually it came to mean
the song itself. A
carol became a happy melody that
anyone could sing.
Caroling still means singing songs of
joy but more than that it
means singing the beautiful
songs about the most joyous
news that men have ever
heard.
Another Christmas Page
Back Home
