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The Meaning of Christmas Education Links
29/01/2008
Author :
Graeme Daniel
'I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.' - Charles Dickens / A Christmas Carol : December, 1843.
From early pagan roots through to modern times, the significance of Christmas has been the subject of enduring speculation, discussion and debate. In this edition of WWWTools for Education, we present a selection of resources which should help students understand what for many has become an increasingly complex issue.
Background Readings.
Christmas' Pagan Origins (Kelly Wittmann / Essortment, 2002)
Those interested in the Wikipedia / Britannica debate might like to compare Christmas (Encyclopædia Britannica)
with Wikipedia's comprehensive article on Christmas .
Christmas: the History (The History Channel, 2005) - looks at versions of the Christmas story; provides plenty of room for lively discussion e.g., 'Christmas as we know it today is a Victorian invention of the 1860s.'
The Religious Base.
Christmas is fundamentally a religious festival. Not surprisingly, interpretations and practices vary widely across the Christian sectarian spectrum:
Christmas (Cyril Martindale / Catholic Encyclopaedia, Volume III, 1908) - an historical treatment covering: Origin of the Word, Early Celebration, Origin of Date, Liturgy and Custom.
Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Catholic Information Network, 2003) - a lighter touch from the Catholic Church, analysing hidden meanings in the popular song.
Christmas in the Orthodox Church (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia / Associates of the University of Western Australia) - customs and practice.
Christmas - What Is the True Meaning? (ChristianAnswers.Net) - an evangelical page available in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Dutch, and Spanish. Enlivened by music, games, colouring pages, film reviews.
True Meaning of Christmas (Margi Harrell) - aims to fit Santa into the religious framework. Interesting use of music.
Christmas in Cyberspace - a selection of 'Christ-centered' Christmas sites. No room in the inn for Santa here.
Cultural Expressions.
In Australia, our observance began with the British traditions of Christmas.
Mandy Barrow's site at Woodlands Junior School explores Christmas in England
The Australian Government's Culture and Recreation Portal is probably the most comprehensive entry to Christmas Season Celebrations in Australia .
Americans Celebrate Christmas in Diverse Ways (Michael Jay Friedman / U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs, 2006).
See also Christmas Lights and Community Building in America (Brian Murray / History Matters, Spring 2006)
Christmas Traditions around the World (Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers) - an annotated guide.
Christmas Celebrations from around the World (eBIZability) - a wideranging collection.
The Commercial Connection.
Holiday Retail (MSNBC) - news stories related to consumer issues for seasonal shopping.
The Story of Christmas Seals (American Lung Association) - history of fundraising seals.
The Commercialization of Christmas: What Would Jesus Buy? (Emily Wilson / AlterNet: November 23, 2007) - Bill Talen's attempts at behaviour-modification through his Church of Stop Shopping.
Corinne Grant Takes a Stand against Socks & Jocks (with Some Kick-Ass Christmas Presents) (Oxfam / November 13, 2007) - the Oxfam Unwrapped Christmas gift giving campaign is under way. Give a donkey to someone who really needs one.
Christmas Shopping Tips (Choice, 2006) - money-wise hints.
The Christmas Shopping Challenge (Jeremy Halcrow / Anglican Media: November 12, 2007) - shopping ethically: alternative Christmas shopping on a budget of less than $100.
Amazon Kindle: Hands-on First Impressions - (John P. Falcone / Webware: November 19, 2007) - could this new ebook reader be the ultimate gift that keeps on giving, or perhaps the most extravagant toy ever to make it into a Xmas stocking?
Classroom Resources.
The Nativity Kit (Snaith Primary School) - interactive graphics enable users to create Nativity scenes of their choice; hours of fun for young and old as you explore the possibilities.
True Meaning of Christmas Symbols (Sherri Osborn / About) - brief notes, patterns and directions for making decorations based on 8 symbols.
Christmas Tree Education Kit - Teaching Plans and Lessons (Christmas Tree Farmers of Ontario, 2007)
A Christmas Carol: Study Guide (Dallas Theater Center, 2004) - unusual treatment covering plot and characters, Charles Dickens, a 19th Century Timeline, Dickens’ London. Also has a Glossary and Lesson Plan Ideas.
Other guides for comparison are:
Edna's Christmas Resource Collections.
edna-for-schools is an edna newsletter published fortnightly during the Australian school year. Issue 20, 16 November 2007 bears a Christmas Theme , linking to these gems, among others:
How to Teach Children the Meaning of Christmas (eHow, 2007)
The Linus Christmas Monologue (YouTube)
The True Meaning of Christmas (John Gravley / Clown Ministry) - a skit for 2 or more clowns.
There's also a separate list of Edna Resources on the Christmas Theme .
A broader search on Christmas across the edna database yields a larger collection of useful evaluated resources.
Other Collections.
Elementary Themes Christmas (Jim Cornish / Gander, Newfoundland: 2003)
Teachers' Toolkit (Issue 9, November 2007) carries links to substantial collections of Christmas-related resources.
Christmas around the World (Education World, 2007) - a Lesson Planning Article
Preschool Education collections:
Christmas Preschool Education (preschoolrock.com, 2007) - activities.
TeachersFirst's Christmas Resources - 43 records.
Toolbox.
From Sue Chastain's Graphics Software Blog at About:
Christmas Graphic Organizers (Sue / About>Education>Special Education) - for students with learning disabilities.
The Christmas Math Game (DirFile.Com) - freeware to download. Santa Claus must do some number-crunching in order to deliver presents on time.
Issues.
Arguments over the meaning of Christmas are not peculiar to the contemporary scene, though we do seem to have our fair share of them:
Christmas Controversy (Wikipedia) - notes that 'the examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.'
Santa: the First Great Lie (Mariane Matera / CityBeat, Issue 3, Vol. 4; Dec. 5-11, 1996) - does the Santa Claus myth contribute to society's loss of faith and trust? And where does this leave the Easter Bunny?
Christmas Is Damaging the Environment, Report Says (The Surging Waves: December 18, 2005) - comment on "The Hidden Cost of Christmas", a report by the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Advent Calendars ‘Miss Point’ (Ruth Gledhill / The Times: November 22, 2007) - church against using chocolate and television advertising to distort the true meaning of Christmas.
The True Spirit of Xmas: How 4/5 of the Country Became an Oppressed Minority (Julian Sanchez / December 20, 2004) - interesting statistics.
Christmas Wars & Conspiracies: Conflicts over the Meaning of Christmas Season (Austin Cline / About: Atheists & Christmas)
A Christmas Message (Jack Crabtree / McKenzie Study Center, 1994) - promotes a deeper religious significance.
BOOKS.
The Polar Express (Chris Van Allsburg / Houghton Mifflin, 1985)
Hardcover: $12.89
# ISBN-10: 0395389496
# ISBN-13: 978-0395389492
The Annotated Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens, Michael Patrick Hearn, John Leech / W. W. Norton & Company, 2003)
Hardcover: $19.77
# ISBN-10: 0393051587
# ISBN-13: 978-0393051582
f726724d-eae3-40ed-8231-3bc885c6b92b
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