Today's prompt is about recording Christmas Memories. The above layout was made several years ago and shows one on my favourite photographs, and Christmas memories. On a Sunday a few weeks before Christmas in 1995, it actually snowed! The children were three years old. I dressed the girls as angels and Andrew as a shepherd for the Christingle service at out church. They looked very cute in their costumes I made for them. It was probably the first year they were old enough to enjoy taking part in such a service. On the way home we stopped int the church yard for some photographs.
For many years while my children were at the primary school I was involved with a small team of parents making over one hundred Christingles for this annual service. I once wrote a piece for the church magazine explaining what the Christingle was all about, I must see if I can find it, must be on my computer somewhere! The children have always loved this service, even once they had joined the choir and could no longer dress up with the other angels and shepherds.
Found it!
"CHRISTINGLE SERVICE (12th December 1999)
The first Christingle Service took place in a Moravian church in the town of Marienborn in Germany in 1747 (252 years ago). The pastor of the church, John de Watteville, invited local children to take part in a special service in the church. At the end of the service he gave each child a small, lighted candle wrapped in a red ribbon. Pastor John asked the children to take the lighted candles home and place them in their windows so that passers-by would be reminded of the light of Jesus.
These candles and ribbons were the first Christingles and as the people of the Moravian church travelled around the world, they took the custom with them wherever they went.
In Britain the Children’s Society, a charity of the Church of England and the Church of Wales, organises Christingle services each Christmas to help raise funds for children who need the help of the society.
Today, Christingles are made from oranges, which represent the world. Into them are pushed four cocktail sticks with sweets or fruits representing the four seasons of the year and the fruits of the earth. A red ribbon is wrapped around the orange and reminds us of the love of Jesus who died for us, and the lighted candle represents the risen Jesus, the Light of the World.
Each year for the past three years a group of mothers have gathered together in the vestry, on the Friday morning before the Christingle Service. Together with a good chat and a cup of coffee, the three hundred Christingles are soon put together; it usually takes less than two hours".... My words went on to ask for parents to help with that years preparations and giving details of time place etc.
My 2007 page:
Oh Lynn, I have always loved this page of yours too, that adorable photo is simply pricless. How the years fly by eh?..xxx
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely picture Lynn and such an interesting article. I've seen Christingle decorations before but didn't know their history. How lovely xx
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