Discover the true meaning of Christmas...

The hustle and bustle of shopping, elaborate festive preparations and the general commercialisation of Christmas is leading to many people overlooking the real reason for celebrating Christmas - Christ’s birthday.

School nativity plays and carol ser vices are very special occasions for young and old alike, and many people make that extra special effort to attend Christmas Eve Midnight Mass.

Another service which is becoming increasingly popular is the Christingle Ser vice, particularly as it is aimed at children.

The Christingle service originated in Germany in 1747 by a Moravian Pastor. Children were encouraged to put lighted candles in their window to show the Light of Christ to passers by.

In 1968 the Children’s Society adopted the service to advertise and commemorate their work with those vulnerable young people who are in need.

Services often take donations for the Children’s Society who help children who are facing Christmas alone and are unable to cope.

And in the society’s 50th year of the Christingle, it is hoped more money than ever can be raised to support young people.

The service has become very popular and is held in many churches around Christmas time.

It usually includes prayers, readings, hymns and carols – and the allimportant lighting of the Christingles.

And because it was specifically created with children in mind, the celebrations are the perfect event for children and families and can be enjoyed by people of all ages – especially if they don’t regularly attend church. A Christingle is made from an orange with a red band around it with a small candle in the top. Four cocktail sticks with raisins, sultanas or soft sweets are stuck into the orange.

Each component has a special significance and representation. The orange represents the world.

The red ribbon wrapped around the middle of the orange depicts the blood of Christ.

The lighted candle atop the orange symbolises Jesus Christ as the Light of the World.

As for the four cocktail sticks, these represent the four seasons - spring, summer, autumn, winter.

The fruit and the sweets illustrate God’s love in providing the fruits of the earth.

Last year, the Children’s Society provided a network of services all over the country for vulnerable children and worked with 13,000 children and young people between the ages of 10 and 18.

Why not contact your local church to see if they are holding a

Christingle Service and find out the times of services over the Christmas period?