77 Talks for Bored-Again Teenagers

The True Spirit of Christmas

Theme

A fresh look at Christmas, getting past the smokescreen thrown out by both the secular and the Christian world.

Preparation

OHP/flip chart. Selection of Christmas cards that make no mention of Jesus.

Presentation

This comes from a newspaper dated a few weeks before Christmas 2001:

"We have great pleasure in inviting you to join us at our sensational new consumer exhibition, Spirit of Christmas, The Ultimate Shopping Experience. Gifts, decorations, food and wine will be offered in a sumptuously decorated Grand Hall at Olympia to create an event with a really unique atmosphere."

The Spirit of Christmas. Let's analyse the word "Christmas" and repeat this phrase.

The spirit of the "remembrance of Jesus Christ".

So when did we get to the point that an occasion for the "remembrance of Christ" becomes an ultimate shopping experience?

Discussion

Note down all the ways that Christmas is celebrated these days, by Christians as well as non-Christians. Mention the fact that, these days, many Christmas cards actually make no mention of the Christmas story. In 2002, one of the major UK card chains admitted that only 3 out of 960 Chrsitmas cards actually made any mention of the birth of Jesus! Show them, if you have any available.

Presentation

So let's go back to the beginning. In fact, Christmas goes back further than the birth of Jesus, and the celebration has gone full circle - Christmas has returned to its roots.

And what were those roots?

Well, let's present the ten things you probably didn't know about Christmas. Write them on chart.