Posada is an ancient tradition in the Spanish speaking world…  and now becoming popular around the world.

http://spiritualchild.co.uk/posada.html

www.loanheadparishchurch.co.uk/christmas has some good Christmas ideas…

If you are doing some on-line shopping this Christmas time – you might like to have a look at www.buy.at/dpc – from where many well known high street stores will support Dalgety Parish Church with a little commission. 

You might be interested to see “Mary’s Blog” as she prepares for the journey to Bethlehem: marysblog.dalgety-church.org.uk

required – Christmas Bauble & Polo or similar mint with hole.

Sometimes it seems that Christmas has a hole in it!  Something is missing!   In the midst of all the food and presents – we can forget what should be at the centre.  Here’s a decoration that we SHOUDN’T put on the tree – show the "mint with the hole" – all sweet on the outside – but nothing in the centre.  What is at the centre of Christmas… God’s love for the whole world… Baubles on the tree remind us of this… So let’s celebrate not a HOLEY Christmas… but a HOLY Christmas as we remember God’s love for the WHOLE world.

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submitted: Catherine Buchan

This talk can be used to explain about baptism, or to talk about John the Baptist.
Show a Passport.  When do we use them?  We use them when we are crossing from one country to another.  If you have interesting visas, you could let the children see them – or laugh at your picture.
You may want to tell something of the history of passports – if the children aren’t too young.
History – Nehemiah’s letter of passage from King Xerxes is the oldest recorded – In the Middle Ages they were letters saying which cities (gates=ports) a person might travel through – not sea ports which were open to all.  Fell out of use in 19th century.  After WWI, because of fear of spies, they became more common again.
     When God s people passed from one country to another they went through the river.  Tell story of crossing into the Promised Land, where they could start a new life as God s people.
     When John the Baptist came to tell people that Jesus was coming he took them to the river as well.  He baptised them (explain).  They were saying that they wanted to start again with God, and live his new life.
     Jesus came to give us new life.  If we have been baptised it is as if we have been given a passport, which allows us to pass from living for ourselves to living for God.

submitted by: Beth

I very happily danced around a little and repeated "I am SOOO ready for Christmas!"  I took a yellow balloon from my bag and tied it to the altar rail and repeated, "I am so READY for Christmas!"  I repeated this until the kids told me my balloon was the wrong color.
Then I took a pink party hat (with glitter and streamers) from my bag and put it on my head.  And I repeated my statement until they told me my hat was wrong.  One little boy scoffed and said I looked ridiculous in that birthday hat.  So I played that up!  Then I reached behind the lecturn and took out the cake and asked Everyone to join in singing the "best Christmas song ever."

I had set up with the organist before hand to play "Happy Birthday"

Christingle is an inspiring celebration that is held during December or January each year, predominately in churches. During the celebration everyone receives a Christingle which is made of an orange, a candle, a red ribbon and sweets on cocktail sticks, each part acting as a symbol of the Christian faith….  find out more from the Children’s Society web:

http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what_you_can_do/fundraising_appeals/christingle/1369.html

submitted: Gary Utz

M: Hi Kids. Can you name some people who are important?
C: …………
M: (Now ask them to name the people who help make those people
successful or important. For example, if they name a cartoon
character, ask them who draws it. If a TV star, who writes the
stories, or does the video work)
M: You know, for every important people, there are a lot of other
people who help them.
M: Even Jesus got some help… from a man named John. How do you
think someone could help Jesus?
C: …
M: He helped Jesus by getting people ready for Jesus to come. He reminded people that they needed to think about God. He reminded them  that they NEEDED God. And then when Jesus showed up, John told  everyone to watch and listen to Jesus.
By doing that, John didn’t just help Jesus, he helped a lot of
people, because he told them about Jesus.
We should do that to, we should tell others about Jesus, and help
them to know about Him.

submitted: John McMahon

Advent – a time of Adventure…

‘Ure’ is an old English word meaning to ‘work at’ something (eg, to work at learning to play a musical instrument; to work at building a project, etc).  Advent is a time of waiting.  Advent-ure can mean to work at waiting/preparing for.  Advent Calendars and Advent candles help us to work at waiting!  Sometimes it’s good to wait.  Some things are worth waiting for (eg, a baby!). If people could decide to have Christmas on any day of the week, of any month, then 25th December wouldn’t be as much fun.  It’s good to wait and to enjoy things together…..

Waiting for something can help us to enjoy and/or appreciate it all the more