This month's newsletter will have links to watch videos about Christmas
The three wise men arrived to visit the child lying in the manger.  One of the wise men was exceptionally tall, and bumped his head on the low doorway as he entered the stable.
"Jesus Christ!" he shouted.
Joseph said, "Write that down, Mary; it's better than Clyde!"
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Welcome to our newsletter for December. Topic is Festivals - Christmas.
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The purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Christ = Jesus ~ Mas = celebrate
In America, many people are not Christians. They believe in different religions. Nowadays people will say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
The theme of Christmas is to bring good will to mankind. It should be a day where people will show extra kindness and do something nice for other people. In Christian belief, "love thy neighbour" means care about other people no matter who they are.
The image of Santa Claus we see today as a jolly fat man is from the advertising pictures from the early twentieth century. Before this, there was no set image of what he looks like and there were various depictions.
The most famous Christmas story was written by Charles Dickens in the nineteenth century. "A Christmas Carol," was about a man called Ebenezer Scrooge who lost the Christmas spirit. At Christmas, people should be extra kind, but Ebenezer cared only for money. So, three ghosts came to him to show him he was wrong.
They were Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present and Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-come. Click here to watch video.
Nativity - The birth of Jesus Christ .Click here to watch video.
Jesus's parents, Mary and Joseph, traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a donkey while she was pregnant.
When they arrived, there was no room at any of the hotels. They found a stable and gave birth to Jesus in a manger.
December 25th was celebrated by pagans after the winter solstice.
Paganism is a set of countryside beliefs left over from pre-Roman times, and rely heavily on Celtic beliefs.
Winter solstice is the longest night of winter.
The Roman Church wanted to convert the pagans to be Christians. Choosing December 25th was a way to integrate their Pagan culture into Christianity.
The Romans had a festival also on December 25th, this was for Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, which translates to the birthday of the undefeated sun.
In the Bible, it does not mention the actual date of the birth of Christ.
The origins of Santa Claus is not a precise story, there are many versions about this.
The most known is Saint Nicholas, one story is about a father who had three daughters and did not have money for their dowries.
A dowry is money or gifts to the groom's family before marriage.
Saint Nicholas anonymously gave purses of gold for each daughter while they were sleeping. If he didn't, they would never have got married.
Due to the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt encouraged the commercialism of Christmas. This was to boost the economy, before common people would only give simple gifts.
The meaning of the Christmas tree.
"This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the centre of your households. Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light. Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your Comfort and Guide."
Click here to watch video.
Giving gifts is a symbol of the three wise men known as Magi, who brought gifts to the baby Jesus.
On Christmas morning, children will wake up with gifts under the tree.
Children will go to the mall and have a photo with Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas.
Some children will write a letter to Santa, telling him what they want for Christmas and how good they have been all year. Click to read the letter.
Santa will write a list of all the children in the world who is naughty and who is nice.

Christmas carols are songs that are sung during the Christmas season. Songs are both about Jesus and Santa. Click here to watch video.

The night before Christmas, children will leave milk and cookies for Santa.
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday celebrating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE. This occurs in December. Click here to watch video.
The parents will secretly eat and drink them to fool the children on the following morning.
Some people will not just decorate their trees with lights, but also their homes. They use lots of little fairy lights to cover their house. There are many competitions to have the best display, click here to watch video of a winning house.
Merry
Why do people say "Merry Christmas" but not "Merry Birthday?" The word "merry" is old-fashioned English, such as "there was a lot of merry making at the party." People don't say this now, but "Merry Christmas" rolls more easily off the tongue than "Happy Christmas." Also, it is just tradition, and most people don't give it too much thought.
Candy cane is not just a sweet treat, but is used as decorations on the tree.
Eggnog is a drink made with eggs, cream, nutmeg and sometimes with rum. Click here to watch video.
Frosty the snowman is a character who comes to life to bring Christmas joy. Only when he wears a magical silk hat can he come to life. Click here to watch video.
Ornaments are any kind of decoration on Christmas trees. Click here to watch video.
Pudding is a traditional cake for Christmas, mainly in Britain. Cick here to watch video.
Santa travels around the world to every house on a sleigh.
Santa needs to use reindeer to pull his sleigh. The most famous reindeer is Rudolf who has a shining red nose. Click here to watch video.
For small presents, you need to hang Christmas stockings over the fireplace.
Garland is a long shiny chain that goes around the Christmas tree as decoration.
The star on top of the tree represents the Star of Bethlehem, which guided the Magi to where Jesus had just been born.
Santa's elves will spend the whole year making the gifts. Click here to watch video.
Santa will enter your house through the chimney. If you don't have one then he will temporarily will make one.
Santa's workshop is located up in the North Pole.
A wreath is placed on the front door of houses.
A mistletoe is the plant associated with Christmas, and used for a lot of the decorations.
These plants represent Christmas because they can survive winter, and because they are a symbol of the strength of life.
The Grinch, is a character by Dr Seuss. He hated Christmas, so he stole it. Click here to watch video.
Jack Frost is the personification of winter.
All of my Christmases have come at once.
This means that you are very lucky.
"Today I got a new job with a high salary, lots of benefits and a company car. It's as if all of my Christmases have come at once."