Despite every attempt to dilute and disguise the true meaning of Christmas through commercialisation, political correctness and rebranding ('Winterfest', anyone?) it remains one of the most significant opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with children, young people and their families.
With this in mind, Energize has sackfuls of resources and ideas (many new for 2023!) for engaging your group with the Christmas story in fresh and exciting ways.
Whilst some of the 'traditions' may sometimes get in the way of understanding the true meaning of Christmas, they can be a doorway to help us connect with the true 'reason for the season.' Our Christmas sessions take two Christmas staples - carols and trees - and use them as a springboard to help children and young people discover more about the significance of Jesus' birth and mission.
Christmas Carols*also contains items suitable for 11-14s
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Starting on 27th November, our Weekly Wins will be looking a lot more festive, with Christmas quizzes and games to slot into your December group sessions.
Our special video helps young people explore what can often seem the disconnect between the glitter of Christmas and the reality of their daily lives. It aims to open up a discussion about the true meaning of Christmas which is that God is not in some distant place 'up there' but, through Jesus, with us 'down here.'
We have also produced a short session for 11-14s, with activities primarily for the Watcher faith level (young people with little or no experience of church).
(c) Urban Saints 2022. This video can be used by organisations with an Energize subscription or a trial account. It can be used in in-person group meetings, services, schools and online meetings. It must not be uploaded to a YouTube Channel, Facebook page or group, or elsewhere on the internet.
You may not love Lego when you step on a brick in your bare feet going to the loo at 3 o'clock in the morning but at all other times Lego is a top construction toy, loved by generations and now used by our friends at Go Chatter to bring the Christmas Story to life in a spectacular way. Don't worry too much about how it was done just marvel at the patience and creativity it took to do it!
This year, we paid for the first 200 Energize subscribers to have a free download of this video. These have all been used but check it out if you would like to purchase or view their videos.
Here are some other highlights from our Specials series to help unpack the Christmas story for all age groups:
And if you are planning to party, here's some Christmas themed fun night suggestions:
This series accompanies the existing special sessions about Christmas - it unpacks the Christmas story step-by-step.
(Image: Netflix)
Klaus is a beautifully put-together film which has the feel of an old animation. It is a family film that can be enjoyed by all ages. The film has themes of the power of connection, community and good deeds as well as many other things that can be pulled out.
‘Arthur Christmas’ is a delightfully spirited seasonal romp, which should capture all ages. The heart of the film is about family and the responsibilities shouldered (or not) by various family members. As we look closer we realise that the Claus family are somewhat dysfunctional.
The Energize at the Movies resource encourages young people to examine some of the issues affecting them (and many real-life families too!) in greater depth.
The Man Who Invented Christmas follows Charles Dicken’s as he writes ‘A Christmas Carol.’ After a succession of three unsuccessful novels, Dickens is reaching financial difficulty and starts to question whether his ‘lamp’s gone out’. Refusing to give up on writing, he promises his publisher that he’ll have a book completed in six weeks, just in time for Christmas. The audience is drawn into Dickens’ intense writing process, where inspiration springs from his experiences out and about in London and, later in the film, from his own troubled past. When Dickens hits writer’s block, the narrative turns to his insecurities, which we realise need to be confronted before Dickens finds the ending he was searching for.
Messy Church is one of the most commonly used examples of fresh expression of church and ideal for connecting with families and children at Christmas time and beyond.
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Messy Christmas contains three complete sessions for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany plus loads of other great ideas to make your Christmas even messier than normal.
Messy Christmas session from Messy Church 2
Messy Christmas session from Messy Church 3
"There were Shepherds living out in the fields near Bethlehem." Download a short, humourous monlogue written and performed by Dave Jenkins.
Hope TogetherHope Together have some great resources for Christmas including Countdown to Christmas Hope an Advent journey of hope that gently begins to explore faith and asks why Christmas gives us hope and Jesus to the Rescue a storybook for Under 5s
In addition to The LEGO Christmas, Go Chatter have a whole (angelic) host of video content to help you explore the Christmas message in fresh and exciting ways
The Resource has collected together a bunch of 20 diverse, amusing, profound, reflective, clever, funny and off the wall Christmas videos . . .
Schoolswork UK
From SchoolsworkUK, “Jesus: Truth or Fairytale?” a Christmas video resource aimed at 16-19-year-olds. For many young people, Christmas is a fairytale, a nice story we repeat each year. This video asks the question, what if God really came to town? The video features Meg Cannon reciting a spoken word piece that brings back the grit, humanity and truth into the nativity story, and then questions what that might mean for young people.
It Begins In Bethlehem is a nativity rhyme by Bob Hartman and Mark Beech for the Bible Society, and is perfect to show in your Christmas group session or Carol service.