Announcing a Birth

I am hoping to have a couple of the girls from our Crafty Women's group over in a few days (assuming I get well enough) to make about 150 of these 'birth announcements' for the kiddies during next Sunday's service. We will be having our nativity play and I have had this story for several years but never had the chance to use it.




Dave's father died of cancer some years ago now but during one of his hospital stays over the Christmas period this story was attached to a candy cane with curly ribbon and on his food tray - on all the food trays for the patients. Mom thought we would appreciate it so sent it to us and I've been hanging on to it ever since. I don't know where it originated from but it's a lovely reminder that the kids can take away with them after the play as well as a nice way of giving something back - something that teaches them about Jesus - the reason for the season.

Because it is a story announcing the birth of Jesus I decided to make mine into a little book that can be opened to reveal the tale.

This meant that I had to find some way of attaching the candy cane so I simply made 2 cuts in the back of the 'book' and tucked the candy cane in. In the first photo you will notice the 'crook' of the candy cane hangs over which keeps the book nicely closed until ready to open. This should make it easier to fill a basket or two full of these for distributing.

They could probably have been far more decorative and elaborate and maybe they will be next year if we do them again but that will take far more planning, time and (wo)man power than I have this year.

This is the story:

Announcing a Birth

How can a candy treat be a birth announcement?

Many years ago a candy maker had an idea. He wanted to show, through the candy he made, that Jesus Christ was born among us, lived and died to save us all. So, through the use of colour and shape, he created a piece of candy that told the story of Jesus. He created the candy cane!

Colour - the white stripes on the candy cane stand for the fact that Jesus was sinless and pure. The thin red stripes stand for the scourging that Jesus endured before he died. The larger red stripe stands for Jesus' blood, shed on the cross.

Shape - the candy cane is shaped like a shepherd's staff, reminding us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Turn it upside down and it is a letter 'J', the first letter of Jesus' name.

We can learn a lot from the candy cane - both to look at it and see Jesus, and like the candy-maker, to share the story of Jesus in whatever we do.