{"id":4324,"date":"2020-12-21T05:15:36","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T10:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.helpteaching.com\/blog\/?p=4324"},"modified":"2024-09-17T05:37:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T09:37:28","slug":"christmas-history-and-activities-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helpteaching.com\/blog\/christmas-history-and-activities-for-kids.html","title":{"rendered":"Christmas History & Activities for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Christmas<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the most wonderful time of the year!\u00a0 Or so the song goes.\u00a0 There are many ways you can celebrate Christmas with your students.\u00a0 Let HelpTeaching assist you with resources, worksheets, activities, and links to educational content for every taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Christmas?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Christmas is a season of gift-giving, feasting with family, reconnecting with friends, and decorating homes with lights, wreaths, and trees.  For others, it\u2019s all that and more. Christians celebrate Christmas because it marks the birth of their savior Jesus Christ<\/a>.  Christmas means different things to different people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Christmas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first recorded Christmas celebration<\/a> was in Rome<\/a> on December 25, 336 CE.  That\u2019s more than 300 years after the time when Jesus was born.  In the Roman calendar, December 25 was the winter solstice, which was considered a Pagan holiday.  A fourth-century sermon by St. Augustine explains why Christian leaders felt this was a fitting day to celebrate Christ’s birth: “Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase.”  The story of Jesus\u2019 birth is found in the Bible.  Christians believe Jesus is God\u2019s son, so that\u2019s why his birth is so special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas remained a religious holiday in the West for many centuries gaining popularity in the middle ages.  The non-religious aspects of Christmas developed over time and in the last hundred years or so, many people on all continents celebrate the holiday in a more secular way.  Religious celebrations of Christmas are still held around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ho, Ho, Ho\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The jolly ol\u2019 big guy in the red flannel suit is one of the most familiar symbols of Christmas.  The tradition of Santa Claus evolved from the true story of the Christian bishop who became Saint Nicholas<\/a>.  The real Nicholas dates from the fourth century CE, and his legendary secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional Santa Claus, a name based on \u201cSinterklass\u201d, the Dutch rendering of Saint Nicholas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our modern image of Santa Claus came about through the blending of several images and stories in the 19th century.  Clement Moore\u2019s poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (better known today as “The Night Before Christmas<\/a>“) was published in Troy, New York, in 1823.  Moore\u2019s description of Santa as a \u201cchubby and plump\u201d elf whose reindeer-pulled sleigh lands on someone\u2019s roof became inspiration for cartoonist Thomas Nast\u2019s illustration of jolly St. Nick in 1863.  The look of Santa in a red suit with a long white beard became seared in the American mind with the 1930\u2019s Coca-Cola advertisements created by artist Haddon Sundblom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around the world<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Different cultures around the globe have a variety of ways to celebrate Christmas.  Here are few traditions from around the world<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n