Christmas

In the novel A Christmas Carol Dickens shows that there is much poor and poverty going on in the world. In the novel a families are exposed of going through poverty and being poor, Bob Cratchit and his wife and Tiny Tim and his other children, Bob Cratchit is a man who works for Mr Scrooge. He has a small family who depend on the income he gets from Mr Scrooge. This is already showing the readers that if Mr Scrooge did not pay him his earnings then Bob would be in trouble with his family.

How will he manage to feed them?. Even though this family is poor, they seem to be in high spirits at all times. Bob’s family are all depending on Mr Scrooge to pay him if not then they will not continue to exist. Showing the readers this family is very unfortunate to not have as much money as Mr Scrooge has. This shows that the Cratchits may not be as happier as they are now if they had no money at all, Yet going through poverty does not stop tiny Tim from praying to god “to help them all”.

Fred, Scrooges nephew seems to be happy enough with the money he has and comes to share his happiness with Mr Scrooge but he neglects Fred’s offer to have dinner at his home. Fred who had married a lady who was not as rich as Mr Scrooge was happy despite the lack of money he is determined to celebrate Christmas. He is always glad and joyful regardless of how much money he has. Men and women “should open their shut up hearts freely”, Even if you opened your heart freely what if money was stopping you? You have all the money you could ever wish for, yet your still not as happy as other are?

Fred does not worry about what you think money can bring. Open your heart freely. Mr Scrooge shows not feeling but seems to be in a bad temper at all times even though he has more money than he needs. Fred shows he is better off without all the money that Mr Scrooge has, he has his wife, his family his friends even though he is going through poverty and Dickens is showing this by making Fred go round to his uncles work and invite him to his Christmas dinner and is ignored by Mr Scrooge by calling Christmas a “Humbug”, He is showing that even though you may be poor and are going through poverty there should be nobody to stop you from being in a excellent mood.

Fezziwig, another business man just like Mr Scrooge has many more people and families who depend on him and rely on him to keep them alive with his money. Fezziwig is seen giving all his workers a day off and smiling and laughing away with them, Scrooge seems to think why Fezziwig will do such a thing (Spend so much money for his workers). Although Fezziwig is rich and has his family and friends with him he spends some of his money on his workers this expands the happiness he already has, and also makes his workers cheerful in the season of Christmas.

Mr Scrooge seems to think that what Fezziwig is doing is also a “humbug” he cannot come to terms with the fact that sharing is caring. Fezziwig is better off giving money to the poor and being happy unlike Scrooge who has so much money but does not share at all he dislikes wasting money he dislikes spending his money altogether. Dickens is trying to show the readers that even having to be poor and going through tough times with getting to have a shelter and leaving in a place your family can sleep well, being happy about Christmas and the more merrier you are the more merrier your Christmas will be.

The readers can tell that Scrooge is very different from Fezziwig the two differences that they have is that Scrooge hates spending his money, even though he is rich he is miserable rotting away in his work place and in his house on his own. Whereas Fezziwig is as rich as Scrooge, he spends a modest amount of money to make the life of his workers a little more enjoyable.

What Dickens is trying to show the reader is that Scrooge is the type of person who is greedy at first and will want to keep his money to himself and all his thoughts and feelings kept inside himself. His character has formed for his past. Scrooge was a lonely boy and then as a young man he was employed by a kind and giving man. All the same, Ebenezer had magnificent ambitions. He also wanted to earn as much as he could ever get and this is what had distorted Scrooges personality as well as himself. His fear of having to lose all his money and Business, has changed his social life, and his personal life, it’s affected him mentally and physically. He has neglected his friends and his family, he also seems to disregard himself and forget how he is, forgetting his health and well being for his money. This fear of poverty has taken over his life and changed him.

Dickens is trying to show us that poverty is something very powerful, having no home or money could change the way you think of money completely you may steal to get money or even beg, but before when you did have the money you had taken it for granted. So once you have lost all of the money you once had you may want it back again and will do anything to gain it back.

Dickens as a child had also gone through poverty as he used to work in a workhouse in his early ages, poverty was a great inspiration for Dickens to create A Christmas Carol as it shows so much that people may not understand, Charles Dickens is trying to show us how a Christmas should be spent without al the grief but full of joy and happiness.

Dickens experience of poverty had also changed his way of thinking and has made him realise that poverty possibly will affect some ones family and their own self in a bad way. Just before his father’s arrest, the 12-year-old Dickens had begun working ten-hour days at Warren’s Blacking Warehouse. He earned six shillings a week pasting labels on jars of thick shoe polish. This money paid for his lodgings with Mrs. Roylance and helped support his family, So Dickens knows how Bob Cratchit will feel about his family being dependent on him for the money he earns for Scrooge.

At this time there was a lot of poverty in London and it was not unusual for such a story as A Christmas Carol to occur.

Transformation

The transformation that took place had changed the way that scrooge used to think about Christmas, He was at first a very lonely and miserable old man, who used to keep everything to him self, his feelings were never expressed and by no means ever smiled. Scrooge is very touched by the visions that the ghost of Christmas past shows him; his transformation begins. He remembers the feelings he had for the love of his life, but he had left her for his business and his wealth. The scenes he had seen were appalling and he had realised that he could steer clear of ending his life in misery. He had seen the consequences of his actions, and stirred away from them.

In the novel A Christmas Carol Dickens links Scrooge to `bad weather` on page 12 Dickens metaphorically describes Scrooge, “No Warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he.” “The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often `came down` handsomely, and scrooge never did.” Dickens had described Scrooge as being so “cold” that the heaviest rain and coldest weather were better off than him.

He is compared to his nephew Fred who with such a uncle, who comes from such bad weather; “he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.” This is showing us that Fred is a much happier person than scrooge. And even though he is from the same background as Scrooge, he is a completely different person to scrooge. Dickens is trying to show us that Scrooge and Fred have a complete contrast between them. Fred is “Warm” and Scrooge is “Cold”, As soon as Fred has entered the room the atmosphere had changed; from cold to warm, showing us how cold Scrooge really is.

Furthermore Dickens shows Scrooge how the industrial revolution had changed London and the affect it had on the poor people. On Page 77 the phantom later takes Scrooge to an “obscure part of town, where Scrooge had never penetrated before, Although he recognised its situation and its bad repute.” Being so rich Scrooge had never stepped into the bad parts of town, which because of them that part of town was in that bad state The onset of the Industrial Revolution marked a major turning point in human society; and these poor people who had no jobs and no money had to stay at the dark parts of town which was in a bad condition. The industrial revolution had introduced many new things which had rapidly changed the whole world.

During 1843 Charles Dickens wrote a novel ‘A Christmas Carol’. The novel was influences by the experience Charles Dickens had of the social divide of the rich and the poor during the Victorian times. Charles Dickens had a terrible childhood, his family spent several years in increasing poverty. Dickens was sent to work long hours in a blacking factory. This was because his father was imprisoned for debt in 1824. Dickens spent ten hours a day sticking labels on pots of boot blacking. His life was miserable and he was determined to improve the quality of his and those of other poor people.

Crime rates increased dramatically due to poverty and destitution. The memories of these hard times haunted dickens for the rest of his life. He felt bad about the neglect of the poor. In a lot of his work he describes the issues with poverty and the social and physical conditions of Victorian London. He compares these conditions to the wealthy, luxurious lifestyles of the upper class to bring awareness of the disgusting standards of living at the lower end of society, so that everyone could be educated on this subject, he even gave public reading of his own work.

London’s industrial age helped the UK to become rich and successful. However, this era had affected the country physically, socially, and culturally, because of the establishment of the factory system. Many people began moving to cities in search of a secure job, this lead to a huge growth in the population. This caused there to be three times more people living in Great Britain at the end of the century than the beginning. The overcrowding resulted in conditions that were dangerous and caused an increase in crime and poverty.

In London the river Thames was full of sewage and the air was full of soot and pollution. Young children and adults were forced to work 14 hours a day and were paid rock bottom wages even though they were working in life threatening conditions. The poor had no jobs, not enough food and had a low life expectancy of twenty nine. This was because most people in the bottom end of society were malnourished which was caused by starvation they also couldn’t afford healthcare. However, the higher classes made increasing profits at the expense of the poor.

The rich took advantage of the poor by forcing them to work long hours in life threatening conditions for little pay. The rich thought the poor were poor because they were lazy and couldn’t be bothered to do anything. At the beginning of the novel the reader is immediately given a negative impression of scrooge being a stingy old man. Dickens emphasises the point by describing Scrooge with many words that all mean nearly the same: “Oh but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!

This is effective in showing the reader that his desire for money comes before anything else. It shows that his number one priority is making as much profit as possible. This makes the reader get the impression that Scrooge is extremely horrible and greedy. When Dickens uses weather to describe Scrooge he makes him sound as horrible as possible, a man who has no feelings. “External heat and cold has little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. ” Dickens suggests that no weather has an affect on him whether it’s cold or hot.

Scrooge is much too cold hearted to be affected by anything or anyone, no matter what time of year. Scrooge is presented as being unattractive and having no emotions. “The cold within him froze his old features,” this makes the reader think the cold from inside him has made him ugly on the outside. This description of Scrooge is made even more unpleasant when it is compared to that of Scrooges cheerful nephew. When Scrooges nephew, Fred comes to wish Scrooge a merry Christmas Scrooge replies by saying, “what reason do you have to be merry?

This shows the reader that Scrooge has no respect for his nephew. It is also ironic as he thinks no poor person has anything to be merry about, But he is rich and miserable. He, like many of the rich at that time believed the poor are poor because they are lazy. When two men come to Scrooge to ask for money to give to charity he replies, “I don’t make merry myself at Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. ” This shows that scrooge is hard-hearted and doesn’t see the poor as people but sees them as a problem.

Scrooge thinks that the poor should be left to die to decrease the population as there was overcrowding in London at the time this novel was written. ‘If they would rather die’ Said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, ‘and decrease the surplus population. The miserable and gloomy mood of Scrooge is further emphasised by Dickens use of pathetic fallacy. “The fog comes pouring in at every chink and keyhole… “The houses opposite were mere phantoms. ” The use of pathetic fallacy creates a dull atmosphere which matches the atmosphere created by Scrooge.

The use of the word ‘Phantoms’ creates an even spookier atmosphere. It is almost as if what ever Scrooge is feeling he will make the same atmosphere and weather as he is feeling. In stave three Dickens describes the Market Place and the poor part of town: both give a different impression to the reader. “There were great round potbellied baskets of chest nuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentleman,” By Dickens using this simile it makes the reader think of father Christmas because he is often described as being happy and joyful.

This is effective in showing that people don’t have to be rich to be joyful. This description of the market place is made even more cheerful when compared to the miserable and unpleasant, poor part of town which is shown to be a depressing and disheartening place to live. The description of the poor part of town is shown as being even more unattractive, “The people half naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. ” The comparison between the cheerful market place and the poor part of town is really important because it shows how the rich people live and how depressing the lives of poor people are.

This is effective in showing people how lucky they are compared to the poor people’s lifestyles. Victorian society is reflected as being greedy and non-caring and also shows the massive social divide between the rich and the poor. By the end of the novel Scrooge has completely transformed from being a bitter and miserable old sinner into a more cheerful and energetic youthful man. He used to be, “A squeezing, wrenching, clutching, covetous, old sinner! ” whereas at the end of the novel he describes himself as, “I am as light as a feather. I am as happy as a school boy, I am as giddy as a drunken man.

A merry Christmas to everybody! ” This description of Scrooge shows that he is no longer a grumpy old man and now has changed into a much more youthful and jolly man. He no longer thinks that he is better than all poor people and that poor people can’t be merry. In this section of the novel there is a lot of exclamation marks and short sentences used to show that he is peaking excitedly, this enhances the fact that he is in a happy and enthusiastic mood. This use of short sentences and exclamation marks almost makes Scrooge sound younger.

In my opinion ‘A Christmas Carol’ is really effective in informing the reader of the social divide between the rich and the poor during Victorian times. I think that the book would have been good at informing the rich about the appalling living standards of the poor par of town. There was no other way for the rich people to find out about this because they had never been to this part of the town. I think that Charles Dickens was trying to make everyone aware of the poverty and overcrowding the poor people were going through, he was emotionally attached because he had been through this for most of his childhood and early adulthood.

The message:”Best wishes for a Merry Christmas &a prosperous new year “wishes it audience a cheerful, hopeful and joyous festive seasons and also wishing its audience a fruitful year. Christmas tree is a symbol of renewal and victory we know that in this period it will be the end of the year and we will be starting a new year soon. It’s also symbolises everlasting light and life. Christmas tree also set a colourful theme for the Christmas season.

Lights and ornaments represents glory since us Religious people will believe that Jesus Christ is born in this time and also the Star on top the tree symbolises the start that was above the stable that Jesus Christ was born in. The gifts will catch the shopper’s eye as they will know it that time of the year to spoil their loved ones with gifts. Candles represent warmth in our houses during Christmas season and the spirit of togetherness as we also know it as family time and time of sharing love.

The gifts also symbolises those that were given by the 3 wise men to Jesus Christ on the days he was born and also that God gave us his son as gift to us to be our saviour. Kids will also won’t be able to contain their excitement because they’ll know by seeing this image it means Christmas is near and gifts are coming ,But then again it all about peoples beliefs, upbringing and their viewpoint .

Those who don’t believe won’t notice any difference except another spending holiday and time off from work . Most of us feel that the festive season won’t be complete without seeing this image or any other images related to this ,as we normal take it as an indicator that it that time of the year, whether we believe in Christmas or not.

Does the spirit of Christmas bring meaning to your life as Christian-Catholic-Muslim? a) As a student As a student, Christmas means a good long vacation. To be able to share and cherish with old friends, new found friends, to our families and to everyone that’s been part of our lives. It’s also a time to forgive and forget about all the pain and trouble caused by our classmates or instructors. So let bygones be bygones so to speak. It’s the best time to be merry outside school pressures and give oneself a break like going to places for vacation or visiting a relative, experiencing life beyond school zone.

Even a student deserves a merry Christmas and enjoy every moment of it for all its worth. b) Your family “The best Christmas of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another. ” Every family has it’s own traditions and habits. Every family is made up of a group of unique people who have one thing in common – a shared love and care for each other’s well-being. Christmas is an opportunity for people of all ages to stop and think about the priorities in your life, about the people that matter most.

This is why Christmas can be a painful time for some people because they see other people’s happiness at a time of bad memories and loss. This is also why Christmas is a time for family. No-one should be alone over Christmas. Christmas means many things to different people. What is true for all is that Christmas is a time for family. Christmas is a time for giving and receiving, for caring and sharing. Christmas is a time for making an effort to be with those who are important to us.

It allows us to be together and do things that don’t happen every day, to bond deeper and appreciate each other even more. Whatever we think of Christmas, Christmas is about spreading love to everyone. It’s a perfect time to be happy and cleanse our heart and soul. c) Your faith Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child, God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world.

It is also a time for the completion of masses, a way of showing our great love for Jesus. We can truly be happy at Christmas! No matter what may be happening, we can know that we are His children. We then become sons and daughters of God. Whatever our beliefs, we should look at Christmas in a new way this year. This is the year to invite Jesus into our hearts. We will then have a “Merry Christmas. ” The joy and peace we will receive will last all year as we look to God for all our needs to be met. Jesus Is The Reason For The Season….

ENGL 1301 – Section 4 Narrative essay June 13, 2012 The Making of Christmas Dinner “Caitlyn, get downstairs now! ” frantically screamed my mother. The sound of her nervous voice made me spring from the bed and quickly scramble down the stairs to the kitchen. As I slid around the corner and headed toward the kitchen, I encountered a large, foggy cloud of strong smoke. “Mom, what’s going on? ” I screeched. She was grabbing the bright red fire extinguisher from under the sink to avert the fire coming from the oven. She opened the oven door to see flames coming from our Christmas turkey.

Flames were leaping out from the roaster pan when she unleashed the fire extinguisher dousing the smoldering carcass. I didn’t understand what had happened. It was Christmas Eve morning, and my mom had been working on the special plans for a family dinner for days. By this time, my sisters were also in the kitchen, wondering what was causing such a commotion. We all agreed that the turkey was as good as road kill. Mom dumped the turkey in the outside trash barrels and came back into the kitchen to decide how we could switch to an alternative plan.

As the awful smell of burned turkey filled the kitchen, mother explained that she had forgotten to reduce the temperature of the oven before she went to bed last night. We were all grateful the whole kitchen wasn’t on fire! I felt horrible for my mom. This was going to be the first year to have the entire family come to our house for dinner. We all looked at each other with the question, “What are we going to do? ” My mom said that she and my dad could drive to Tyler to buy a Greenburg turkey already cooked. That sounded like the best plan. However,” she added, “you girls will have to finish the side dishes. ” We all looked at each other with uneasy expressions on our faces. Could we do this? Without really thinking about what we were agreeing to do, we said, “Oh yes, we can do that. ” Before mom left for Tyler, she gave us the entire menu she had planned: green beans, mashed potatoes, our favorite macaroni and cheese, and yeast rolls. Aunt Kelley was bringing the fruit salad. Aunt Joyce was bringing her special cranberry salad. Our grandmother was bringing her favorite pecan pie and our great randmother was bringing her famous banana pudding. My sisters and l agreed we would make gingerbread cookies to add to the wonderful dessert assortment. As our parents drove out of sight toward Tyler, we girls went to work. We divided the responsibilities and went to our work spaces in the kitchen. Ashley got the green beans started by opening the huge can of Italian green beans mom had bought at Sam’s Wholesale. It looked like we could feed the whole army with all those beans. She added lots of butter with salt & pepper. As they began to boil, she lowered the heat and put a lid on the pot.

Lauren was peeling potatoes at the sink. When she finally finished peeling all the potatoes, she began cutting them into slices and put them into a large pot of water to boil. I was busy getting the boxes of macaroni opened to add to the boiling water I had already started. Adding a dash of salt, I lowered the heat under the bubbling macaroni hoping it would not boil over onto the stove. I figured we had already had enough catastrophes for one day. While the macaroni noodles were boiling, I sliced the creamy Velveeta cheese that would be added to complete our favorite side dish.

We were amazed that everything was cooking so quickly and the smell of burned turkey was being replaced with a much more appetizing aroma. When all of our assigned dishes were completed, we all decided we could work together to make the gingerbread cookies. We had helped our mother make cookies since we were little girls so we felt more comfortable with this chore. My mom had already made the dough for the cookies, so we were left with the fun part…rolling and cutting the little gingerbread men. Ashley found the cookie cutter while Lauren began rolling the dough.

I gathered all the cookie sheets we would need to make everyone in our family their own gingerbread cookie. Lauren had the dough all rolled out on the cabinet and we all took turns cutting out the little men. We gently lifted each cookie and placed them on the baking sheets. They looked like little children all in a row with their arms outstretched to welcome our guests. As the cookies were placed in the warm oven, we began to gather the decorations needed to create the image of one of our favorite storybook characters, “The Little Gingerbread Boy. The cookies smelled wonderful baking in the oven. We had been careful to set the timer so the cookies would not burn. When the cookies were baked and cooled, we began making tiny smiling faces with bright eyes on each little gingerbread man. Ashley found a large crystal dish to arrange the finished cookies for an impressive presentation. They were so cute, we decided to leave them out on the dessert table for everyone to see as they arrived. We gathered all of my mom’s special china serving bowls to compliment each of the side dishes we had prepared.

When our parents returned home with the beautiful Greenburg turkey, they were overwhelmed with all the side dishes we had prepared and had placed in the warming oven to await our guests. We didn’t confess that we had made a quick trip to The Farm House for the wonderful yeast rolls. We decided that detail could wait until after dinner. All of us gathered the red and green Christmas dishes with a decorated tree in the center of each plate so each guest would have a special place at the table.

Dad helped set the silver at each plate and my mom reached to the top shelf of the china cabinet to get their wedding gift crystal glasses. What began as a nightmarish day had turned into a wonderful Christmas memory. As our relatives began to gather bringing their personal additions to the dinner, we were all reminded of why this celebration is our favorite day of the year. We had all come together to share our love for each other and be grateful for the many blessings we shared as a family.

A narrator takes a journey of discovery into the true meaning of Christmas, with Easter in view. This play was designed as a vehicle for participation by all age groups of a Sunday School, who appear in sequence from youngest to oldest. There are 2 alternate versions of this script. The first is written for a Southern Hemisphere summer Christmas, the second for a Northern Hemisphere winter Christmas.

Script 1

Narrator: What does Christmas mean to you? Is it a family get-together, a big feed, Father Christmas, and all that?

Or what? You know, we’ve inherited a lot of European customs in our Christmas, perhaps when we should have been developing our own style of things. So while picnicking in the blazing sun on the beach, we still sing a song about a white Christmas, and hunt for mistletoe. Bit silly when you think about it isn’t it! And after all, if the middle of winter is the proper time for Christmas, then maybe that’s when we should have ours!? It’s a thought.

Choir: (Starts singing in background)

Narrator: But there’s always one thing you can count on at Christmas, and that’s carols.

Used to sing them myself once when I was a kid. How did they go? (Hums to himself. ) Away in a manger, no crib for a bed. Yes, something like that. (Finishes off a verse of the carol. )

Group of children: (Pre-schoolers; they wander on)

Narrator: Kids! I think kids were made for Christmas. It’s really their time, with all the goodies we pile on them. Lots and lots of goodies. (Turns to the group) What does Christmas mean to you? (Narrator asks several questions, such as, “What’s the first thing you do Christmas morning? ” “Where do you go for Christmas? ” “Did you ask Santa for anything special? etc. After they have given their answers, the Narrator suggests they go and sit in a corner, and pretend they’re opening their Christmas stocking, quietly acting out what they hope to find inside. ) It’s a bit like watching yourself, isn’t it! You know, there’s something else about Christmas I was going to mention to you, but it’s slipped my mind for the moment. It’ll come back to me. Singing!?

Choir: (5-7 years; they file on, singing carol)

Narrator: (When they have finished singing, ask questions of some of the choir, such as, “Who are you singing about? ” ‘Who’s he? etc. Finishes with, “Where are you going now? )

Choir: Off to church. Bye-bye! (They file off. )

Narrator: (Turns to the group still acting on the floor. ) Aren’t you a lot going to church too?

Group: Yes. Come on, let’s go. (They get up, look to see if anyone’s watching, and run off playing with toys. )

Narrator: I guess the church is different things to different people. Jesus? I knew I’d heard the name before. His birthday or something. I wonder what sort of birthday he had. What would it have been like to be there then? Animals: (7-10 years. File on, chattering among themselves.

Perhaps a donkey, cow, goat, sheep, dog, etc. They have just been in the manger when Jesus was born, and now they tell each other what they think of Jesus, looking at it from an animal’s point of view. )

Choir: (At the rear, sing “Away in a Manger” quietly. )

Family: (Four children in the congo line. When the animals have finished their discussion, the family comes on, honking, making other car noises, and comments such as: “Why can’t we find a good place for a picnic? ” “Did you bring your swimming costume? ” “Mummy, can we have lunch now? ” What are all these animals doing on the road? ” etc.

They tour the stage once and then exit out the front. As they go, one of the animals – a lamb – is knocked over, and it lies down crying. )

Narrator: Hey, you’ve knocked over a lamb! Come back! (Goes over to the lamb, and picks it up, carries it down the aisle. Other animals file down in procession after. )

Choir: (Enter singing. They do one verse or chorus only. )

Paperboy: (Enters, waving papers. ) Paper! Extra! Read all about it! Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem. Hit and run driver wounds family pet! Read all about it! Paper!

Narrator: Thanks, I’ll buy one of those. (Paperboy exists.)

Newsreader: (While the voice is reading, choir hums a verse of its song. ) Here is the news. The year 1AD was marked today by the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem. Three traveling salesmen offered prizes to the mother, Mary, for having the first baby of the new century, and local farmers have given a year’s supply of groceries free. Several authors are offering to write biographies of the child, but a prophet named Isaiah claims he already has a copyright on the story. King Herod has sent a telegram of congratulations and says he is planning a special reception for the family… ut the parents are understood to have declined the offer. A new song for the event has been written by a local choir of angels. It’s selling well and is expected to top the charts this week.

Narrator: Hold on a minute. What’s going on here? Who is this Jesus person everyone’s talking about?

Choir: (Starts another verse of the song. )

Narrator: (Breaks in at end of the verse. ) Now hold it! You still haven’t answered my question.

Reporter: (Enters, explains he is from the local radio station; carries a tape recorder. Asks some members of the choir what they think of Christmas, who Jesus is, etc.

Choir: ( Finishes song. As they do, Paper Boy comes back through. )

Paper Boy: Extra! Extra! Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem. Paper!

Choir: (Start to file out after Paper Boy. )

Narrator: Hey, where are you all going?

Choir: (Some members turn back and call out) To worship Jesus. We’re going to church, etc.

Narrator: (Picks up the paper, starts looking through it again. )

Child: (10-13 years. Same-sex as Narrator. Enters carrying a sack. )

Narrator: Hello, what have you got there?

Child: A present for you.

Narrator: A present! That’s very kind of you, seeing it’s Christmas. Can I open it now? (Child smiles and nods. (Narrator reaches in and takes out a hammer, and two pieces of wood. Comments on each. Then reaches in and takes out a doll dressed in baby’s clothes. The Child takes them all off the Narrator and cuddles the doll. )

Narrator: What is this all about? Why are these things in this sack?

Child: (Whispers in his ear. )

Narrator: Are you sure? That’s in there? (Child smiles and nods. The Narrator looks inside again, puzzled. ) Who are you?

Child: Just someone you knew a long time ago when you were my age. (Child takes the doll, hammer, and pieces of wood and sits down to one side of the stage. ) Television crew: (Five or six of them.

They are making a film, though the audience doesn’t know this yet. They enter and act out the scene where the Pharisees come to Pilate and try to get him to indict Jesus. In explaining why they hate Jesus, they should bring out the reasons he is the Saviour of the world. ) Produce: (Comes on carrying a video camera. ) Okay, cut it there. I didn’t like that scene. We’ll try it again in a moment. In the meantime, take five. And will the actors for the Crucifixion scene get ready, please? (Director exits. )

Choir: (Enter and sings. While they sing, the TV crew stand round to one side, pretending to drink cups of coffee.

Child sitting with the doll in the corner starts to hammer the two bits of wood together, in between verses. As the choir finishes, the actors break into laughter at a joke. One of the actors, laughing, chokes, and falls unconscious to the floor. Members of the choir go over and pick him up, carry him out. Rest of the choir file after, singing. When they’ve finished, the Child finishes hammering the two pieces of wood holds the result up so the audience can see it is across. The Child looks at the Narrator. )

Child: Would you do this to a baby? Then why do you do it every day to a grown man? The Child goes over to the Narrator, drops the doll at his feet, and goes out. The Narrator stares at the doll, then bends over it, crying. As the Narrator is bent over, Questioner enters. The Narrator looks up at Questioner. )

Questioner: Well, what do you think now?

Narrator: Why did he/she do that?

Questioner: We all do.

Narrator: But why did they kill Him? He was such a good man. There was no need for it? (Stands up, picks up a sack, throws it over the shoulder. ) Such a good man and they killed him. (Starts to go. )

Questioner: Where are you going?

Narrator: To see if I can find out where they took him.

Questioner: But what have you got in that sack?

Narrator: A Christmas present. This sack is my life. The Child told me it contains everything that ever happened to me.

Questioner: Wait a minute! Don’t you see it? That’s what Christ died for. So we don’t have to carry all our sins around with us. Christ died, but He also rose from the dead. He’s alive now and wants to give you life.

Narrator: You really mean that?

Questioner: Of course. 500 people saw Jesus not long after he rose from the dead, and millions since have turned to him and found that he’s still real. He loves you. Let that sack go.

Narrator: (Looks at sack questioningly, shrugs shoulders and lets it drop. ) Hey, you’re right. Suddenly there’s no load.

Questioner: The Bible says, “God loved the world so much, He sent us his only son, Jesus Christ; so that whoever believes in him won’t die, but will be given everlasting life. “

Narrator: That’s tremendous. It’s the best Christmas present I ever had. You’ve got to tell me more. (As they exit, Choir and congregation sing a further song. )

Script Narrator: Christmas! What does it mean to you? Is it a family get together, a big feed, Father Christmas and all that? Or what? You know, we’ve inherited a lot of European customs in our Christmas, maybe we should have been developing our own style of things.

Why is it we don’t have Christmas in the middle of summer with fireworks and camping and cookouts and . . . we already have a holiday then, don’t we? Men’s Quartet: (Starts singing Deck the Halls in the background)

Narrator: But there’s always one thing you can count on at Christmas, and that’s carols. Used to sing them myself once when I was a kid. How did they go? (Hums to himself. ) Have Congregation sing ‘Good Christian Men Rejoice’.

Group of children: (Pre-schoolers; they wander on)

Narrator: Kids! Now that I think of it, kids were made for Christmas. It’s really their time, with all the goodies we pile on them.

Lots and lots of goodies. (Turns to the group) What does Christmas mean to you? (Narrator asks several questions, such as, “What’s the first thing you do Christmas morning? ” “Where do you go for Christmas? ” “Did you ask Santa for anything special? ” etc. After they have given their answers, the Narrator suggests they sing a couple of songs (Away in a Manger, ). When they have finished they go and sit in a corner, and pretend they’re opening their Christmas stocking, quietly acting out what they hope to find inside. )

Narrator: It’s a bit like watching yourself when you were young, isn’t it! Those were the days . . .

You know, there’s something else about Christmas I was going to mention to you, but it’s slipped my mind for the moment. It’ll come back to me. (5-7-year-olds enter dressed as carollers and chatting quietly) Oh yes, Singing!

Congregation sings: ‘Angels from the Realms of Glory’

Choir: (5-7 years; they file on, singing carol) Have this group do two or three songs. Go tell it on the mountain Hark the herald Angels Ring the bells

Narrator: (When they have finished singing, asks questions of some of the choir, such as, “Who are you singing about? ” ‘Who’s he? ” etc. Finishes with, “Where are you going now?

Choir: Off to Our Christmas program at church. Bye-bye! (They file off. )

Narrator: (Turns to the group still acting on the floor. ) Aren’t you guys going to church too? Group: Yes. Come on, let’s go. (They get up, look to see if anyone’s watching, and run off playing with toys. )

Narrator: I guess Christmas is different things to different people. Jesus? I knew I’d heard the name before. It was His birthday or something. I wonder what sort of birthday he had. What would it have been like to be there then? Animals: (7-10 years. File on, chattering among themselves. Perhaps a donkey, cow, goat, sheep, dog, etc.

They have just been in the manger when Jesus was born, and now they tell each other what they think of Jesus, looking at it from an animal’s point of view. ) Angels We Have Heard on High O Little Town of Bethlehem A Child is Born

Choir: (Sing ‘Away in the Manger’ with the congregation)

Narrator: I wonder what it was like on that morning in Bethlehem. If the people back then were anything like they are today, It must have been an interesting scene.

Paperboy: (Enters, waving papers. ) Paper! Extra! Read all about it! Jesus born in Bethlehem. Confusion abounds! Read all about it! Paper!

Narrator: Thanks, I’ll buy one of those. (Paperboy exits. )

Narrator: Here is the news. The year 1AD was marked today by the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem. Three traveling salesmen offered prizes to the mother, Mary, for having the first baby of the new century, and local merchants have given a year’s supply of groceries free. Several authors are offering to write biographies of the child, but a prophet named Isaiah claims he already has a copyright on the story. King Herod has sent a telegram of congratulations, and says he is planning a special reception for the family… but the parents are understood to have declined the offer.

A new song for the event has been written by a local choir of angels. It’s selling well and is expected to top the charts this week.

Narrator: Hold on a minute. This can’t be what really happened? Who is this Jesus person everyone’s talking about?

Scripture reading: Luke 2:1-7

Narrator: (Breaks in at end of the verse. ) Now hold it! This still isn’t clear to me. No one has really answered my question.

Scripture reading: Luke 2:8-20

Paper Boy: Extra! Extra! Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem. Paper! (Exits)

Choir: (Start to file out after Paper Boy. )

Narrator: Hey, where are you all going?

Choir: We’re going to worship Jesus. Do you want to come along?

Narrator: No, I think I’ll just read more about it. (Picks up the paper, starts looking through it again. )

Scripture reading: Luke 2:21-22,25-38

Child: (10-13 years. Enters carrying a sack. )

Narrator: Hello, what have you got there?

Child: A present for you.

Narrator: A present! That’s very kind of you, seeing it’s Christmas. Can I open it now? (Child smiles and nods. ) (Narrator reaches in and takes out a hammer, and two pieces of wood. Comments on each. Then reaches in and takes out a doll dressed in baby’s clothes. The child takes them all off the Narrator and cuddles the doll.

Narrator: What is this all about? Why did you give me these things? I’m not sure a doll’s quite my style. There must be something else.

Child: (Whispers in his ear. )

Narrator: Are you sure? That’s in there? (Child smiles and nods. The Narrator looks inside again, puzzled. ) Who are you?

Child: Just someone you knew a long time ago when you were my age. (Child takes the doll, hammer, and pieces of wood and sits down to one side of the stage. ) Song: (During the song, the Child sitting with the doll in the corner starts to hammer the two bits of wood together, in between verses. As the choir finishes they file out, singing. The child finishes hammering the two pieces of wood, holds the result up so the audience can see it is across. The Child looks at the Narrator. )

Scripture reading: Isaiah 53:1-12

Child: Would you nail a baby to this cross? Then why did they do that to Jesus? (Child goes over to Narrator, Places the doll at his feet, and goes out. (Narrator stares at the doll, then bends over it, confused. As the Narrator is bent over, Questioner enters. The Narrator looks up at Questioner. )

Questioner: Well, what do you think about Christmas now?

Narrator: ( Still thinking about his gift) Why did he/she do that?

Questioner: He wanted you to understand what Christmas was all about. It’s not about presents, packages, trees, or tinsel. Not even about carols. It’s about God coming to Earth to do something no-one else could do.

Narrator: But why did they kill Him? He was such a good man. There was no need for it? (Stands up, picks up a sack, throws it over the shoulder. ) Such a good man and they killed him. (Starts to go. )

Questioner: Where are you going?

Narrator: To see if I can find out where they took him.

Questioner: What have you got in that sack?

Narrator: A Christmas present. This sack is my life. The Child told me it contains everything that I’ve ever done wrong or that has ever happened to me.

Questioner: Wait a minute! Don’t you see it? That’s what Christ came and died for. He wasn’t just a good man, He was God in the flesh. Christ died, but He also rose from the dead so we don’t have to carry all our sins around with us. He’s alive now and wants to give you life.

Narrator: You really mean that?

Questioner: Of course. 500 people saw Jesus not long after he rose from the dead, and millions since have turned to him and found that he’s still real. He loves you. You can let that sack go.

Narrator: (Looks at sack questioningly, at first cannot drop it, but finally shrugs shoulders and lets it drop. ) Hey, you’re right. Suddenly there’s no load. But why did God do it that way? I would have done things differently . . .

Special Music: He Became a man like me

Questioner: The Bible says, “God loved the world so much, He sent us his only son, Jesus Christ; so that whoever believes in him won’t die, but will be given everlasting life. “

Narrator: That’s tremendous. It’s the best Christmas present I ever had. You’ve got to tell me more. (As they exit, Choir and congregation sing Joy to the world. )

As every year draws to an end, so the atmosphere of Christmas starts to fill the air. The 25th of December is a day that has caught the heart of most Christians and filled it with gratitude- for it is said – that it is the day that Jesus Christ was born. It is marked on calendars as a public holiday, but it is written on hearts as a celebration of the birth of our savior. It is the time when families and friends gather together, bearing gifts for one another and where feelings of love are evident and friendships are strong.

But, what if Christmas is not what it appears to be? What if we just imagine it to be this great celebration of Jesus birth, but in reality Jesus Christ was not in Christmas at all? There is a snare inside this honeycomb we call Christmas. It lays dormant, unseen, it appears harmless, and when one partakes in it, it tastes sweet in the mouth but is really bitter in the spirit. The following essay will emphasis the pros and cons of what hides behind Christmas, and will explain the roots of the traditions, rituals and celebrations that people practice over Christmas.

If Christmas is not the birth of Christ, then where did it come from and what does it mean? Allow me to show how and where it all started. The celebration of Christ’s birth was not even a consideration until the third century. It was only about AD 350 when a Roman Catholic, Pope Julius I, decided to introduce the celebration of Christmas as the birth of Christ, and then the thought of honoring Christ’s birth materialized into a documented festival. Why would a Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, choose December the 25th to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Scripture reveals that Christ was not even born in December, as shown In Luke 2:8 when the three shepherds saw the star signaling the place of Christ’s birth they were “abiding in the field keeping watch of their sheep by night”. If it had been December, they probably would not have been sleeping in the field because of the severity of the winters in Palestine at that particular time of year. Pope Julius I also knew that the transition of Paganism to Christendom was hard. He decided to find a compromise – a gray area.

He knew that if only he could chisel away at the righteousness of the Christian faith, then he could bridge the gulf between Paganism and Christianity. So herein he found an answer. Pope Julius I strategically set Christ’s birthday on the 25th of December so that the Babylonians would feel accepted as they worshipped the birth of their messiah, Tammuz. The Romans would feel able to participate for they too were worshipping Saturn, and the Egyptians would feel comfortable as they worshipped the rebirth of Mithra.

This was the only way that Christians would not feel excluded from their surrounding community but be able to participate in the celebration and festivals. Were they right? Christmas traditions bear their roots in Babylon, as I will explain a little futher. As the Babylonians would worship and honor the son of the Babylonian Queen of heaven, Tammuz (the Babylonian Messiah) they used certain rituals, which later were adopted by the church and established as Christmas traditions. In Babylon their celebration was known as the winter solstice festival.

It was recognized by the thrill of having parties, feasts, and the privilege of giving gifts to one another. Every family would cut down an evergreen tree – they would kill the tree and decorate it as a way of commemorating the premature death of Tammuz. The Catholic Church adopted this Pagan tradition of cutting trees as well as decorating them. This act being contrary to scripture, as described in Jeremiah 10:1-5, “Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workmen, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with hammers, that it move not”. One of the other traditions that were held during the Babylonian celebration was the burning of candles on the night before the celebrations began, in Catholicism one of the watermarks of Christmas is burning candles around the house on Christmas Eve.

Babylon was not the only nation that contributed to the forming of Christmas and its traditions, but Rome also played a considerable part in this merge. The Romans used the 25th as a time to honor their agricultural god, Saturn. They called their holiday Saturnalia. The purpose of Saturnalia was to celebrate, and thank the god’s for the coming summer. Every year when the days shortened, Romans, had no way of knowing if the days were going to lengthen again. When the days lengthened in December they saw it as a sign of the end of winter – the mercy of Saturn, the god of agriculture.

This lengthening would allow them to prepare for the planting season. They had decided to use the time to commemorate and celebrate the mercy of their god – thus festivities began. Saturnalia’s practices such as dancing and singing naked in the streets became caroling and singing house to house on Christmas evening. Merrymaking and feasting, became the Christmas lunches and dinners practiced by so many Christian families each Christmas. The exchanging of good-luck gifts in Rome are the gifts we see under the Christmas trees today.

Romans would deck their homes and doors with boughs of greenery and candles and today the Christmas practice is the decorating of our homes with lights, wreaths and mistletoe. The mistletoe was considered a sacred plant. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe began a ritual to bring fertility to the couple. Holly berries associated with Christmas cakes and also in the decorations were really thought of as the food of the gods. In northern Europe the pagans celebrated their own winter solstice, which they called Yule. The word Yule means “wheel,” which is a pagan symbol for the sun.

Yule was symbolic for Mithras (the sun god’s) birth, which was believed to be on the shortest day of the year. The thought was as Mithras grew so the days because longer, and his ability to warm them became stronger. In all hopes to encourage Mithras to reappear the following year, it was customary to burn Yule logs to represent the warmth that the sun gives. In modern day Europe they still burn logs on the fire. It was also traditional to light candles to signify the light that the sun produces. The question that looms over this essay is, “Is Christmas a truly Pagan Festival? I will say a definite yes! It is clear, that because Christmas has been a worldwide tradition for so long but the clarity of its roots have long been forgotten The very thought of the celebration of Christ’s birth was not an idea that originated from any form of scriptural background at all, but it materialized from a Pope seeking to dilute the pureness of the Christian faith with Pagan traditions.

This is a pure compromise – a huge compromise! I have shown the heresy of Christmas and the detachment that Christians should have from it. Anything that tries to reduce the magnitude, r detract from the holiness of Christ, cannot be from the spirit of Christ and therefore it must be the spirit of the antichrist. If something is held up by the pillars Paganism, supported by the beams of the spirit of antichrist, then it cannot be for Christians to partake in. The scripture in Jeremiah 7:17-20 says “Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the father’s fondle the fire, and the woman knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods that they may provoke me to anger.

Do they provoke to anger? ” says the Lord. “Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces”? The refusal of Christians to recognize the importance of relinquishing demonic association is a powerful indicator that the Christian world has gone astray, and forsaken the truth that once burned in the hearts of men. The Lord says, “ My spirit will not always strive with a man”. We should not fight God, but rather be quick to submit to his word lest we do not see ourselves start to fall away. We must be careful that by taking part in Christmas we are not paying tribute the false gods that birthed this tradition.