Background for Christmas Story

The essence of the Christmas story is the birth of the baby Jesus. No one knows at what time of the year Jesus was born. Long after his death, stories of Jesus' birth were collected and written down. The growing Christian Church wanted to celebrate his birth, and the church fathers decided that it should be during the most beloved and universal festivals celebrated by people around the world. The time of mid-winter celebrations-- festivals of light--was decreed as the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ--Christmas.

Old festivals and customs were added to the new celebrations of the Christmas story, of the child born in a manger, of shepherds and wise men who visited the manger, and of angels and heavenly hosts who sang and proclaimed the birth. Stories were gathered from many places and times and woven into story and song and poetry that is the magic of Christmas.

Unitarian Universalists are often concerned about interpreting the Christmas festival and all the legends and symbols that have grown up around the story of the birth of Jesus. You may wish to read the story from the Bible. There are two versions in the Gospels: Matthew 1:18-2:12 and Luke 2:1-20.

Or you may wish to tell the Christmas story with natural simplicity emphasizing the wonders of birth and the power of love. Christmas In the Stable or Christmas in the Barn are excellent books with this interpretation for young children. Another possible way of telling the Christmas story is to place it next to the birth stories of Buddha and Confucius as they appear in From Long Ago and Many Lands, edited by Sophia Lyon Fahs.

In this session there is a simple version of the Christmas story. You can select another story or stories you feel is most appropriate to the families in your religious education program and Unitarian Universalist congregation. Remember that it is very difficult for a child of this age to distinguish between fact and symbolic meanings. The messages of hope in times of darkness, hope in a violent world for peace on earth and good will to all people, and the importance and promise of every child born into this world are the central meanings of the Christmas story.