Christian Symbols of Christmas—Kids Advent Calendar.

My husband and I teach primary kids (seven and eight-year-olds) on Sundays at church.

We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and we are asked as teachers to make sure every lesson we teach focuses on Christ and His Life and Mission.

So, for our Christmas lesson last week, we took our wooden door/drawer advent calendar with us. It has 24 doors to open.

Each compartment was quite small so we looked hard around the house and found tiny little Christmas emblems, ornaments, and toys that would fit inside.

We also took along a nativity to set to the side of the advent calendar so that they could see the nativity during the lesson.

The children in our class got to take turns opening each door and then we explained the Christian symbols of Christmas to them. When the child pulled the item out, we read an excerpt/day on the advent calendar explaining how each symbol is related to Christ.

To download the free printable click here.

They LOVED this lesson.

I thought it would be a great way to bring Christ into Christmas at home each day in December leading up to Christmas as well. So I’m blogging about this as a reminder to do this in our home with our kids next year.

This is what we had in the doors of our advent calendar.

Wreath. The wreath’s circular shape represents eternity, for it has no beginning and no end. It represents an unending eternal life made possible through Christ. D&C 35:1
Poinsettia. The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red-colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity. Isaiah 1:18
I did not have a tiny poinsettia. If you don’t have one that fits the advent calendar like me, ideas could be to put a leaf of one in the advent calendar as long as it’s on the first day or two of the calendar, or you could print out a photo of one and put it in on any day.
Lamb. Jesus Christ is known as the Lamb of God. He is referred to as a lamb because he sacrificed himself for us. John 1:29
Cranberries. Cranberries are ripe and readily available during the Christmas season. Cranberries promote healing and rejuvenation. Christ is known as the Master Healer. Matthew 11:28–30
Peace on Earth/globe. Christ is the Creator of the World and is also called the Creator of All Things St.John 1:3. He is also referred to as the Savior of the World 1 Nephi 10:4 The angels also sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Luke 2:14
The Crown on the Wise Men’s head. Christ is known as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Revelation 19:16.
Holly. Holly represents immortality. The sharp edges of the holly leaf can remind us of the crown of thorns placed on the Savior’s head. Matthew 27:29
Snowflake.
Poem on how a snowflake represents Christ.
Every new snowflake comes to the earth
as a picture of our Saviour’s birth,
because they are sent from up above
and remind us of God’s care and love.
Each one is so intricate and small
because Christ sees the details of us all,
and just as two are never the same
He knows and calls us each by name.
Snowflakes gently cover the world in white
and hide what’s unlovely from our sight,
showing us how He covers our sin
and gives us His grace when we come to Him.
So may every snowflake bring Christ to mind
and in every bit of white may you find
a reason to celebrate anew
and a reminder of His love for you.
Hot cocoa. Just as hot cocoa warms and tastes good to our bodies. Warmth and goodness are felt by our spirits/hearts when we think of the Savior and His love for us. Mormon 1:15
Gifts. Christmas gifts are a symbol of myrrh, frankincense, and gold brought by the wise men to Christ Child, in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:11
Dove. A dove is a symbol of Peace. Christ is known as the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6
This green bird is all I could find for the dove.
Red and White Ornaments and decoration. The red color of ornaments is considered a symbol of the blood of Jesus and the white is the cleanliness that we can become by striving to live a life as Jesus lived. Isaiah 1:18 “…Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Christmas Caroling and Christmas Music. Many Christmas songs contain lyrics that teach us about the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Caroling is an act of service as well (whether the sons are Christ-centered or not). However, when one sings songs about Christ it is a testimony to His name. Just as those the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen”, caroling can be a different form of the same declaration. Luke 2:20
Candy Cane. The shepherd’s hook or candy cane brings to mind the care with which our Lord watches over all of his children—the Good Shepherd with an unparalleled, divine mission to bring us all back safely to our Heavenly Father’s home. John 10:11–14
Bell. We ring bells throughout Christmas to announce the arrival of the season, and to proclaim the birth of Christ. Luke 2:14
Angel. A lot of people prefer decorating the top of the Christmas tree with an angel instead of a star, this being a symbol of the angel who announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds. Luke 2:1–14
Christmas Tree. The green pine tree or ‘evergreen tree’ represents eternal life in Christ.
Christmas lights. Jesus is known as the Light of the World. John 8:12 Around the year 1500, Martin Luther brought a tree indoors and decorated it with candles in honor of Christ’s birth. Candles continued being used as decorations for the tree, symbolizing Christ as the Light of the World. Although in time the candles have been replaced by electric Christmas lights, the significance has remained the same.
Star. The star placed on the top of the tree represents the star that guided the Wise Men to Jesus the Child in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:2 Christ is also known as the Bright and Morning Star Revelation 22:16
Stockings. Stockings filled with care can remind us of the importance of service. The greatest example of service is Jesus Christ. He always “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Gift-giving reflects the goodness, generosity, and mercy of God. God gave us His Son which is the greatest of all gifts we can individually and collectively receive. John 3:16
Angelic Choir/Trumpet. An angelic choir filled the sky and joined the angel in praising God. Luke 2:13-14
Lantern. Lanterns or lamps are used to light our path. By following Him, Christ will lead and guide us back to our eternal home. Psalm 119:105
Bow. The bow symbolizes unity and how we should all be tied together in goodwill and service toward our fellowman forever. Ps. 133:1
Nativity. The nativity represents the night that Christ was born. As mentioned above, the nativity we took wouldn’t fit into the advent calendar so we just set it to the side. Luke 2 and Matthew 2