For most children, Christmas means parties, presents, feasting with the family, and holidays at school. And although it is not entirely wrong, because that is how these parties are celebrated in most houses, Christmas has a meaning that children should know. Beyond religious beliefs, because it cannot be forgotten that these festivals have a history.
To tell the christmas story to children, it is not necessary to influence too much on religion. What's more, the simpler you do it, the better. You can use a story format so that the children understand well the concepts that are being explained to them. In this way, children will learn the meaning of Christmas and when they are older, they can decide how important it may or may not have for them.
Even if you are not a believer or religion is not part of your life, Christmas has a religious meaning and it is not bad for children to know it. If Christmas is celebrated at home with parties, gifts, decorations and family celebrations, you can also tell your children the story of all those traditions. Because ultimately, Christmas is tradition and everything that surrounds it is full of mystery.
Christmas story for children
Long ago, in a city called Nazareth lived a young woman named Mary. This woman was very believing and had a lot of trust in God, in addition, she was married to José, a carpenter from the same city. One day an angel appeared to Mary who told him that he would soon have a baby named Jesus and that in addition, he would be the Messiah that everyone expected.
José was very surprised by this news, because he had barely married María. But one night another angel visited Joseph and explained that this baby would be special, because he was going to be the son of God. Since José loved his wife, he was able to understand what was happening and he waited for the birth of that baby with all his enthusiasm. One day, María and José had to leave for the city of Bethlehem.
The road was long and they had to do it on foot, because back then there were no cars. As they made their way, the time for Jesus and Mary to be born was getting closer, each time she felt more and more tired. For this reason, they decided to make a stop so they could rest and they took refuge in a small stable, where there was among others an ox and a mule.
In that small manger, surrounded by straw, surrounded by the animals, Mary began to feel that the arrival of Jesus would be that same night. And that was how lOn the night of December 24, on the eve of the 25th, he was born the one that for people who belong to the Catholic Church would be the son of God.
The history of the Christmas tree
In addition to explaining to children what is celebrated on Christmas Day, you can take advantage of these holidays to tell them some other stories related to Christmas celebrations. For example, this short story about the Christmas tree.
Legend has it that a very very poor old woodcutter, came across a hungry boy on Christmas Eve. The man, despite having almost nothing, welcomed the child and took him with him to his humble home. In addition to feeding him, he offered him shelter and shelter from the cold of winter. The next morning the boy had disappeared but had left a gift for the lumberjack.
When leaving the house to look for the child, the man found a beautiful tree that decorated the entrance of his humble home. Legend has it that this hungry child was the baby Jesus, who had disguised himself to check the generosity of the people. The tree was his gift to the woodcutter, in gratitude for his generosity and selflessness, since he offered him what little he had despite being very poor.