CBC’s Advent Devotional 2015

Sunday, December 6 – Friday, December 11, 2015

Lynn Wolcott 

            Welcome to the second week of this Advent Devotional.  I hope your journey has been and will be a fruitful one and will aid you in pondering the Nativity stories.  This week you and your children will travel to Australia and learn about how the families there celebrate Christmas.  Then the young people and adults will explore some tough questions and issues that are triggered by Matthew’s presentation of the immediate events leading up to and following the birth of Jesus. 

Let’s Go on a Trip to Australia for Christmas!

Sunday, December 6, 2015 

            Because they are in the southern part of the world, Christmas is still held on December 25, but it is during the summer months when the children of Australia are on vacation (from the beginning of December until the beginning of February).  They may go camping or celebrate it on the beach, where they might help their parents decorate a Christmas tree!  Some people stay at home where the children sit outside with their families on blankets, light candles, and sing Christmas carols, especially on Christmas Eve.

            Australia has people from many different countries, especially England and Ireland.    Many of the first people who moved there were prisoners who were sent to Australia as their punishment for various crimes.  The first Christmas was celebrated on December 25, 1788.  Ever since then, they usually have their main meal at lunch time; they often eat ham, cold chicken, seafood, pasta, salad, and a variety of desserts.  Do you help your parents cut out cookies and decorate them during the holidays?  The Australian children do, too.  They also make various forms of pudding, an edible Christmas wreath, and a special cake named after the Koala Bear.

            If you lived in Australia, you would help your parents decorate the inside and outside of your home.  Sometimes they have Christmas trees like ours, but usually they use native bushes from the area, such as gum tree branches that grow to be quite large.  They put a stocking under their tree, and Santa Claus (also known as “Father Christmas”) brings gifts to all the members of the family.  Santa’s sleigh doesn’t use reindeer, but kangaroos!  In some Australian traditions, because Santa’s clothes are not suitable for the warm weather in Australia, a character known as “Swag Man” has replaced him.  He wears summer clothes, including shorts, and he delivers the gifts by driving a four wheel drive truck!

            Children and their parents go to a Christmas Eve service, as you probably come to the one at CBC.  The adults and children bring gifts to the church, just like I suggested last Sunday that you bring a food item for the Food Pantry to be given to the hungry children and their Moms and Dads.  They also sing Christmas carols by candle light outside the church, just like we close our service with candles lit, while we sing “Silent Night.”

            As you can see, many countries have both similar as well as different Christmas holiday traditions that they practice each year.  Maybe Father Christmas’ sleigh will have kangaroos, and perhaps he will bring you an edible Christmas wreath or perhaps a Koala Bear cake!