| do you know about the Christingle? | | | | The Christingle service usually takes place on the last |
| Christingle means 'Christ-Light'. The Christingle | | | | Sunday before Christmas or on Christmas Eve. You |
| celebrates the light of Christ and puts Christ back into | | | | could contact your local church for more details about |
| Christmas. | | | | visiting the Christingle service. |
| The first Christingle service was in Germany around | | | | Of course you don't have to go to church, you could |
| 1747. The service encouraged children to keep a | | | | make your own Christingle range. All you need is... |
| candle burning in the window of their home so that | | | | An orange, 4 cocktail sticks, red ribbon, dried fruit or |
| people who passed by would see the light of Christ. | | | | small soft sweets such as jellies pins and a white |
| The Christingle service teaches children about Jesus. | | | | candle. |
| Of course Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, but | | | | Cut a hole in the top of the orange so that the candle |
| the Christingle celebrates the meaning of Jesus' life, | | | | will sit snugly in place. |
| with each part of the Christingle orange having it's own | | | | Wrap a length of red ribbon around the middle of the |
| symbolic meaning. | | | | orange. Hold the ribbon in place with pins, push the pins |
| The orange itself represents the world. | | | | into the orange. |
| The red ribbon around the orange symbolises the | | | | Carefully push dried fruit or soft sweets onto each |
| blood of Christ that Jesus shed to save us from our | | | | cocktail stick, so that the cocktail stick is half covered |
| sin. | | | | Carefully push the cocktail stick into the orange above |
| The four cocktail sticks are the four seasons of the | | | | the red ribbon. Evenly space the cocktail sticks out to |
| year. | | | | the Four Corners of the world. |
| The dried fruit or sweets represent the fruits of the | | | | Finally add the white candle to the top of the orange. |
| earth and the earth's riches God has blessed the | | | | Light the candle and leave it in a window for passers |
| world with. | | | | by to see the light of Christ. Do be careful not to burn |
| The white candle, which is place in the top of the | | | | the curtains, do not leave the candle unattended. |
| orange, represents Jesus, the light of the world that | | | | Remember to enjoy the fruits of the earth. |
| shines over everything. | | | | |