What Christmas Really Means

Start by speaking about Christmas Day coming - the excitement of looking forward, presents etc. During this, get someone (previously arranged) in the Congregation to come forward with a gift for you. It's a wrapped up box of Cadbury's Roses Chocolates - ribbon, decoration attached, suitably wrapped in Christmas paper. You make great fuss over this - first by taking off the ribbon and making a point of discarding, ignoring and dumping the rest. Put the ribbon round your neck, "Oh, how nice this looks!" etc. Then, you pretend to notice the decorations on the box! Do the same with the bow or whatever is stuck on the box. Dump the box and make a fuss of the decoration, perhaps sticking it on your lapel. "How nice it looks! Thanks for such a lovely present!"

Do the same with the Christmas paper round the chocolate box. Take off the paper, dump the chocs, and fuss over the paper! "What a lovely gift! This will look good on my wall!" Similarly, with the box itself. Open it and dump out the chocs! Fuss over the box! "Won't this make a lovely vase? Thank you for such a useful, lovely gift!" (The "Roses" box is shaped like a vase.) Then pick up a choc, one wrapped in coloured see-through paper. Discard the choc, make a fuss about the wrapping - holding it up to your eye - seeing how it changes and colours everything!

"Wow! How nice this is! What a lovely gift!"

By now the children should be thinking you're a bit daft - you've missed the REAL gift - the chocs! Pick one up and eat it - obviously enjoying the delicious taste of the real thing! "Oh, yes! This is what it's all about!" Explain about all the lesser things that get tacked on to Christmas - the tree, decorations, lights, presents, turkey, pantomimes, parties etc - these are nice - but the real gift is JESUS! Among all these other things - don't miss out HIM! As a closing gesture - throw the remaining chocs towards the children!

"Thanks be to God for His gift beyond words! - Jesus, His Son, our Saviour!