Showing posts with label Christmas Symbols Meaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas Symbols Meaning. Show all posts

Friday, December 19, 2014

Christmas Symbols Remind Us of Our Savior

SYMBOLS OF CHRISTMAS

The Colors of Christmas-red and green

                                                                
Red- the first color of Christmas symbolizing the Savior’s sacrifice for all (the blood he shed for us)


Green - the second color of Christmas. It represents the eternal life that He offers us

Christmas Tree – Why aren’t Christmas trees apple trees or oak trees? They are always evergreen which symbolizes everlasting life. The needles point heavenward.

Wreath – most wreaths are evergreen which also symbolizes eternal life and they are always round to represent that God’s love has no beginning or no end.

Star – the star the Wisemen followed to find Baby Jesus. It is a heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long, long ago—the shining hope of all mankind.


Angels – the angels that announced Jesus’ birth


Bells – They ring out to guide lost sheep back to the fold—signifying that all are precious in the
eyes of the Lord


Tree Topper –points to Heaven where Jesus Christ is alive today


Christmas Ball Ornament – traditional Christmas tree ornaments are round
symbolizing that God has no beginning or ending and also symbolizing the
earth (God created the earth and loves everyone on the earth)


Gift Bow – Tied as we should all be tied together in bonds of goodwill and love forever


The Candle – A mirror of starlight reflecting our thanks for the star of Bethlehem as well as
Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.


Lights – to remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World


Gifts – The gift of our Savior that Heavenly Father gave to us, and the gifts the Wisemen gave to Jesus Christ.


Nativity Set – depicts the real Christmas and helps us to remember Christ came for us personally

Christmas Stockings came about through a story of the real Santa Claus
Santa Claus was a real man. He lived about 400 years after Jesus. He was the Bishop of a church. He loved Jesus. Bishop Nicholas had a friend that had three daughters, but they could not get married because their father did not have the money for their dowries. So late one night, in secret, Bishop Nicholas threw three bags of gold into their living room. The bags landed in socks that were drying by the fireplace (thus the tradition of stocking hung by the fireplace). Later the Catholic Church made Bishop Nicholas a saint, making him Saint Nicholas. The Santa Claus that we know today in America is a result of Clement Moore’s poem, The Night Before Christmas, written in the mid-1800s. This description of Santa Claus was expanded upon by Coca-Cola in an advertising campaign in the early 1900s.


Candy Cane- The shepherds crook, used to bring lams back into the fold—a reminder that we are our brother’s keeper.


Another meaning is found in this story: A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy--White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church and firmness of the promises of God. The candy maker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray. Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promises of eternal life. Unfortunately, the candy became known as a candy cane, a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who “have eyes to see and ears to hear.” I pray that this symbol will again be used to remind us of Jesus Christ and His great love.


















Saturday, December 17, 2011

Teach the Children "The True Meaning Of Christmas "


Teach the Children
Gaye Frances Willard, Portrait Artist – “Every Knee Shall Bow”

Story of "Teach the Children:"
I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out.  "What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous character we all know. 

He then answered me with a simple statement, 
"TEACH THE CHILDREN!"

I was puzzled; what did he mean? He guessed my question, and with one quick movement pulled a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.  As I stood puzzled, Santa said,

"Teach the children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten."


Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it in front of the fireplace. 

1.  Christmas tree.  
"Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, representing the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven." 


He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR.
2.  Heavenly sign.  
"Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Saviour for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE.
3.  Radiant light.  
"Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of Jesus who fills our lives with light." 





Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. 
4.  Infinite love.  
"Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases, like God's love which has no beginning or end." 




He then pulled from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF.
5.  Saint Nick.  
"Teach the children that I, Santa Claus symbolize the generosity and kindness we feel during the month of December."



He then pulled from his bag some LIGHTS.
6.  Twinkling lights.  
"Teach the children a string of light symbolizes the power of unity.  Joining our little lights together produces an ever-increasing reflection of Jesus, The Light of the World so that we can also be light and go shine to make our world delightfully different for His glory."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree.
7.  Candy Cane. 
 "Teach the children that the sugar cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back lost sheep to the flock."




Santa then reached into his bag very carefully and gingerly held a prickly HOLLY LEAF. 
8.  Holly hanging.  
"Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Saviour. The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him."


Next, he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said,
9.  Indescribable gift.  
"Teach the children that God so loved the world that HE gave us HIS only SON... We thank God for his very special gift.


Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the Holy Baby and gave HIM gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men." 



Suddenly, I heard a soft tinkling sound, and from his bag, he pulled out a BELL. 
10.  Loud bells.  
"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring to guide us to God. The bell symbolizes guidance and return. It reminds us that we are all precious in the eyes of God." (Remember this when you hear the Salvation Army bells ringing.)


He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL.
11.  Divine angels.  
"Teach the children that it was the angels that announced the glorious news of the Saviour's birth. The angels sang 'Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and goodwill toward men.'  An angel also said, "Unto you [put your own name here ____________] is born this day, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord . . ."

Santa looked back and was pleased. I saw the twinkle in his eyes as he said:
"Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me (Santa) in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship HIM, our LORD, our GOD."
~Author Unknown ~ Adapted by Woodlands Junior School 


Note:  Read the first letter of each of the 11 numbered clues above and you will see it spells out the real meaning of Christmas, simply but profoundly defined:  
C-H-R-I-S-T  C-H-I-L-D!


Much of this content comes from projectbritain.com