Christmas Crossword Puzzle for Kids

Christmas (which means “The Mass of Christ”) is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. Christmas is also a cultural holiday for many non-Christians all over the world. It is usually celebrated in the month of December, with the main day being Christmas Day on 25 December.

Meaning

Christmas Day is celebrated on 25 December. It is an important day, mainly for Christians, along with Easter (which celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus). The season of Advent begins on a Sunday about four weeks before Christmas. During Advent, people prepare for Christmas. The Christmas season (called Christmastide) ends 6 January, also called the Twelfth Day of Christmas. On this day, Christians celebrate ‘’Epiphany‘’. Many Christians also attend Church on Christmas Day.

History

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. There are four different Gospels in the Bible which talk about Jesus’ birth. The Gospel of Luke gives details about Jesus’ birth. The Gospel of Matthew tells another part of the story. The Gospel of John says that Jesus came from God to bring his “Word” (his message) to all people. Christians believe these Gospels are based on fact.

The Gospels say that many years before Jesus’ birth, prophets had told a promise to the Jewish people that God would send them a Messiah, or holy teacher. Christians believe that the promised Messiah was Jesus. His mother was a young woman called Mary, who was engaged, but not yet married to a carpenter called Joseph. Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant and was upset. He was wondering what he should do, when an angel came from God to tell him that the baby was the Holy One. The angel said that he must ‘’name the baby’’. This was a sign that he would take care of it like his own child.

At this time, the Middle East was ruled by the Romans. An order came that all the people had to travel back to their home town, to put their names on the taxation lists. Joseph took his new wife to Bethlehem. There was nowhere for them to stay, except a stable where the animals slept. This is where the baby was born. Joseph called him Jesus, as the angel had said.

The baby Jesus had two lots of visitors. On the night he was born, angels told some shepherds in the fields that they would find a newborn king lying in an animals’ feed trough (or ‘’manger’’). Jesus’ other visitors were some wise men who saw a new star in the sky and followed it, until they found the house where the family was now living and gave the young child expensive gifts of gold, incense and a precious herb called myrrh. (The wise men are often traditionally called the Three Kings, because there were three very expensive presents but the Bible does not say how many wise men there were.)

All these parts of the Christmas story are remembered and celebrated in different ways at Christmas: in pictures, songs, plays, stories and in models that are called “cribs”, “creches” or “presepe”.

Christmas traditions

For many, Christmas has become a time when having parties, sending messages to family and friends and giving presents has become more important than the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Manufacturers and stores have responded to the feasting and present-giving with lots of advertising, decorations and displays. In the US, the Christmas displays are put up right after Thanksgiving, late in November. In some countries such as Australia, stores put up decorations at the beginning of November. Given that Jesus himself called people making money in the Jewish Temple ‘robbers’ (Matthew 21:13) many Christians are uneasy about profit instead of prophets at Christmas.

People celebrate Christmas in many places around the world. Some people celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. In some places, Christmas is a time of celebration for Christians and non-Christians alike. Christmas traditions are different in different countries. However, they almost always include a feast; giving gifts or cards; and enjoying church or public festivities, like singing Christmas carols and songs. Christmas is not limited to Christianity. The idea of Santa Claus is based on Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint of Greek origin.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Christmastide happens during the winter. Before Christmas was ever celebrated, ancient peoples celebrated winter festivals. Some traditions from these ancient festivals became Christmas traditions. For example, some Christmas traditions come from the pagan holiday of Yule. Today, Christmas traditions often focus on gift-giving. About a month before Christmas Day, retail stores start selling gifts, food, greeting cards, Christmas trees, Sugar cookies, Candy canes, and decorations.

Town councils celebrate by decorating streets and squares, and providing Christmas entertainment for shoppers. In countries of the Southern Hemisphere, where Christmas falls in Summer, there is a tradition of open-air Carol Services, often organised by the town council, which are attended by thousands of people.

Many cities and towns celebrate Christmas by putting up decorations. These may be banners and bunting which are strung from buildings or lampposts. They may be Christmas lights which can also decorate buildings and street trees. Many large cities put up a huge Christmas tree in a public place, such as those in Trafalgar Square in London, Times Square in New York and Martin Place in Sydney. This is often combined with an appeal to the people of the city to give money or gifts to help the poor and needy.

Pop culture

In December, many Christmas movies are shown on television. Some of the most popular Christmas films are: Home Alone, The Grinch, Scrooge, The Polar Express, A Christmas Carol, Elf and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

In addition to movies, many Christmas songs are played on radios throughout Winter. Some of the most popular songs are: All I Want for Christmas Is You, Last Christmas,Santa Baby and Feliz Navidad, and White Christmas.

Text adapted from the Simple English Wikipedia article “Christmas” (revision 10891091, 2026-06-17), authors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.