New
New
Year 1

Different ways of celebrating Christmas in the UK

I can explain how different Christians celebrate Christmas in the UK.

New
New
Year 1

Different ways of celebrating Christmas in the UK

I can explain how different Christians celebrate Christmas in the UK.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Christmas is the festival where Christians celebrate and remember the birth of Jesus.
  2. Churches in the UK often hold special events over Christmas such as Midnight Mass or a carol service.
  3. Many Christians will remember that Jesus was born in humble circumstances by giving to charity or volunteering.
  4. Christians will also celebrate at home with their families.

Keywords

  • Christmas - a festival when people celebrate Jesus’ birthday, give gifts, and spend time with family

  • Celebrate - to do something special for a happy event, like having a party or singing songs

  • Advent - means "coming" or "arrival" and is a time of reflection, prayer, and preparation for the celebration of Jesus' birth

  • Humble - not showing off or thinking you're better than others

Common misconception

All Christians celebrate Christmas in the same way.

Christmas is celebrated by most Christians in the UK. However, there are different traditions in different churches and groups.


To help you plan your year 1 religious education lesson on: Different ways of celebrating Christmas in the UK, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You could invite a local Christian into your class to talk about what their church does at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus. See if what they do is similar or different from Sophia, Fiona or Jason, the priest.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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5 Questions

Q1.
When do people use Christingles?
at Easter
Correct answer: before Christmas
on their birthday
Q2.
Where do people have Christingle services?
at school
at the zoo
Correct answer: at church
Q3.
What does the candle on the Christingle mean?
a birthday
Correct answer: Jesus is the light
a star
Q4.
What does the orange stand for?
a football
Correct answer: the world
a snack
Q5.
Christingle shows God’s ...
Correct Answer: love, Love

5 Questions

Q1.
Do all churches celebrate Christmas in the same way?
Yes, exactly the same.
Correct answer: No, some have different ways.
Only churches in London do.
Q2.
Who was born at Christmas?
Santa
Correct answer: Jesus
the Queen
Q3.
Many churches sing at Christmas.
Correct Answer: carols, Carols
Q4.
What might Christians do to show kindness at Christmas?
Correct answer: help others
buy more gifts for themselves
eat all the sweets
Q5.
How do Christians celebrate Christmas at home?
by sleeping all day
Correct answer: by eating food and being together
by going on a rollercoaster