Week commencing 14th December 2009
“Christmastide”

Assemblies this week:

Thought for the day: Religious and secular traditions at Christmas
Many people will be setting up Christmas trees in the days leading up to Christmas.  Most of these trees will be decorated with lights, colourful ornaments and tinsel.  Large trees may have gifts tied to their branches; others may have presents stowed beneath them.  Sprigs of holly and mistletoe may be brought into people’s homes, a reminder of bygone days when all the decorations consisted of greenery such as holly, ivy and mistletoe.  In those days there were lots of superstitions about the greenery, and when and how it should be removed.
Christmas trees were set up in Germany long ago but were not seen in Britain until the nineteenth century.  They became very popular after Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, had one at Windsor.  Nowadays there are few towns where Christmas trees are not to be seen in public spaces.  Christmas visitors to London often go to Trafalgar Square to see the tree that stands there, a gift each year since 1946 of the people of Oslo, Norway.
It is said that the German reformer Martin Luther once compared the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree with the stars that must have shone in the sky over Bethlehem on the night that Christ was born.
Most people enjoy a good sing and Christmas provides an opportunity for us to do so as we join with others to sing the familiar Christmas carols.  Many of today’s carols are hymns of praise and thankfulness, often telling part of the Bible story of the birth of Jesus.  The original carols, taken from the French word “carole”, had no religious associations: they were dances with singing used on joyful occasions.
Just before Christmas, carol services are held in most churches and chapels.  One of the best known is the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held on Christmas Eve at King’s College, Cambridge.  Many churches also use this service, while others have special services of “Carols by Candlelight”.  Carols are frequently sung in the streets too, and quite a lot of money is raised for well-known charities.
Many people associate Christmas with feasting.  In many homes Christmas dinner is a family occasion, often with turkey or other poultry and lots of trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding.  Christian people will also be arranging Christmas dinners in church halls to which they will invite old and lonely people: Christmas is a time to remember other people, especially those in need of help.