CHRISTMAS 2020
Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7235
salvationarmy.org.uk/kidsalive
Illustrated by Philippa Martin
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DOWN: 1 Noon. 2 Eve. 4 Night. 5 East. 6 Garland. 10 While. 11 Asia. 12 Chin. 15 Red. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Noël. 3 Once. 7 Opera. 8 Gas. 9 Twelfth. 13 Ski. 14 North. 16 Amen. 17 Eden. GIGGLE ’ROUND THE MIDDLE
iddle ’Round the M 7 Giggle istmas Shepherds’ Chr 8–9 s! Caper the Middle Giggle ’Round 10 ompetition Spirograph C 11 as Around 12–13 Christm the World ativity Story 14–15 The N ur d Four Parts Three an Patch’s Pals 16
Turn this page upside down to read the answers.
SPOT THE REINDEER Dasher – D. Cupid – G. Vixen – I.
6
ory The Nativity St wo T d Parts One an rs Advent Praye
TRICKY TREE 1 To. 2 Toe. 3 Note. 4 Tenor. 5 Orient.
4–5
MYSTERY MIRROR: Christmas pudding.
? e d i s n I s ’ What
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of Kids ading this issue you’ve enjoyed re home pe ur ho I yo s! to er ad ed re er Hey there, n copy deliv ow ur yo t ge ask your to d e an lik ristmas list Alive! If you would Alive! to your Ch ds Ki week, d y ad er t Ev no y u? iption* for yo cr every week, wh bs su a t ou ke , puzzles, jokes, ans to ta parents or guardi ory, a competition st e bl Bi on rto ca es a you to enjoy. Kids Alive! includ s and articles for itie tiv ac l ca pi to /kids-alive, call comic strips and to sps-shop.com go to s an di ar or gu tions@satcol.org Ask your parents or email subscrip 1) n tio op 1, ion pt 01933 445445 (o cription. to set up a subs
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sts just A subscription* co r a one-off £4.33 a month (o – all that payment of £52) than the ey on fun for less m te bars ola oc ch o tw price of hier too!). a week (and healt get a gift u yo And this way, long! ar ye all ts that las
offer applies in *This subscription of Ireland, with c bli pu Re d the UK an er 12 months. ov red live de 51 copies t prices apply en fer dif t Please note tha onal orders. ati ern int to Europe and
2
alive y.org.uk/kids salvationarm
EDITOR Justin Reeves DEPUTY EDITOR Cara Mott GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Melita Day-Lewis KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku PROOFREADER Chris Horne Kids Alive! office: 020 7367 4910 Email: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Published by The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland (cost 65c). 101 Newington Causeway. London SE1 6BN. Switchboard: 0845 634 0101 Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief and Publishing Secretary: Major Mal Davies The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399 ISSN 1363-5662
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Are you excited about Christmas? If you’re anything like the Kids Alive! team you’ve been counting down the days since … well, since last Christmas! With everything we’ve experienced over the last eight or nine months, we could all do with a bit of Christmas cheer to end the year. There’s no doubt about it, this Christmas will feel very different. We won’t be able to enjoy many of the traditions and customs we’re used to in quite the same way. However, the Christmas trees are up and looking tinsel-tastic and people have been decorating their houses, inside and out. Even better, the Prime Minister says he’s been in touch with Father Christmas to confirm that Santa Claus will be coming to town. Prezzies are probably one of the most important parts of Christmas for most of you, and the giving and receiving of gifts are a big part of Christmas for everyone. But there’s one Christmas gift we need to keep at the very centre of all our celebrations – God’s gift of his son, Jesus. As you enjoy the tinsel, glitter and sparkle, and everything else that goes with the season, remember that we’re celebrating the birth of Jesus – he’s the real gift of ll be gh Christmas! There is a slei of ge hidden on every pa . See this week’s comic all! if you can find them
‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year!’ OK, so it might not be as wonderful as usual. For one thing, I’m going to miss belting out my favourite Christmas songs at carol services. But there’s still plenty of wonder to experience. To begin with, there’s this wonderful Christmas issue of Kids Alive! We have the usual mix of jokes, puzzles and cartoons for you to get stuck into. There are some fab prizes up for grabs in the competition and make sure you head to pages 8 and 9 for a fun game to play. If you only read one thing in this issue, make sure you check out the Nativity story on pages 4 and 5 and 14 and 15. It really is a story that’s full of wonder and it’ll remind you of what we really celebrate at this time of year. Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!
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Part One God Comes to Mary Luke 1:26–56
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Part Two God Comes to Bethlehem Luke 2:1–7
Justin Reeves/Steve English
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5
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Advent Prayers
with KA! JAM Co-ordinator Ibukun Baku
Mary and Joseph
Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas. More than 2,000 years ago, God was busy preparing the world for the arrival of his son Jesus. So God asked some special people to help him – people who trusted him and were willing to do what he asked. This Advent, between putting up your decorations and writing Christmas cards, ask God to help you to be like the Christmas heroes in the Bible – willing and eager to meet Jesus.
Mary and Joseph were engaged and looking forward to their future together. But Gabriel’s announcement that Mary was going to have a baby changed everything. Expecting a baby while still unmarried meant Mary faced being turned away from her community, while Joseph had to decide if he still wanted to marry Mary. Despite the challenges, their faith in God won and they did what God asked. Things didn’t happen the way they thought, but by putting their trust in God’s plan, they became the parents of the most extraordinary baby who grew up to save the world. Dear God, Sometimes doing the right thing can feel scary and hard. Please give me courage like Mary, so that I can always do what’s right without worrying about what others think. Please help me to listen to your instructions, as Joseph did, so that I make the right decisions. Amen.
KA! JAM is the cooles t Bible activity club around. As a mem ber you’ll go on amazing adventures through the Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lo ts of great stuff about being a Christia n. You’ll also receive our mini-mag , Chatterbox, which is filled with jo kes, games and much more. And to to p it off, there are loads of awesome pr izes to be won! To join KA! JAM and complete the Bible activity courses online, go to salvationarmy.org.u k/ka-jam-sign-up. Or if you would like to receive the postal vers ion, simply fill in the coup on below. To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with KA! JAM, 101 Newington two first-class stamps Causeway, London SE – to: 1 6BN. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 ye Name: ars old to join. Date of birth: Address:
Boy or girl: I, (signature)
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Postcode: Do you attend a church,
and if so, which one?
apply for membership of Kids Alive! Jesus And Me . I understand that joining KA! JAM doesn’t mean I have joined The Salvat ion Army and that it is not free subscription to Kid a s Alive!
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS.
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Spot the Reindeer
Crossword Clues
Match each reindeer to its identical picture
by Neil Locker
across: 1 French for Christmas. 3 Popular Christmas carol, ‘_ _ _ _ In Royal David’s City’. 7 Mu sical play. 8 Oxygen, for example. 9 Feast of the Epiphany, or a Shakespeare play, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Nig ht. 13 Winter sport footwear. 14 Santa’s home, _ _ _ _ _ Pole. 16 Last word of prayer. 17 Garden in the book of Genesis.
Crossword Clues
down: 1 Midday. 2 Twenty-fourth of Decem ber, Christmas _ _ _. 4 Christmas carol, ‘Silent _ _ _ _ _’. 5 Direction from which the wise men travelled . 6 Wreath used as a Christmas decoration. 10 Ch ristmas carol, ‘_ _ _ _ _ Shepherds Watched’. 11 Largest continent. 12 Facial feature. 15 Colour of San ta’s clothes.
Dasher
Cupid
Vixen
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
Answers on Page 2
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Shepherds' Christmas Capers!
Cut out the shepherd counters or use counters from another board game you already own.
You lose a sheep. Ba ck two spac es.
2
1
he Follow t ar. bright st Forward e. one spac
Herod detains you at his palace. Miss a go.
!
l? smel rh? t a h yr ’s t What ncense? M Hurry! i ! Frank y donkey aces. g p d A do rd three s a Forw
You have to stop and wa sh your socks. Miss a go.
!
3
No, this isn’t B ethlehem. It’s Beth ’n’ Lia m’s home! Oops! Back two spaces.
Beth ’n ’ Liam’s
2
Wild t chase Forwa space.
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An angel has told you and your shepherd pals the good news about Jesus’ birth. Unfortunately you’ve all brought Jesus the same present, a lamb – better hurry to the stable to be the first to Bethlehem to give your gift!
Cool Baaa-d Game
Start
ose a p. Back paces.
!
listen Stop and avenly to the he a go. iss choir. M ide on a Hitch a r l. n’s came es. a m e s i w ac three sp Forward
3
to wash s.
Snow! Take a sledge ride down the slo pes! Forward fou r spaces.
4
!
You Win!
Wild turkeys chase you on . Forward one space.
1
Designed and illustrated by Rodney Kingston
Bethlehem
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Mystery Mirror Identify the mystery image in the
mirror
TRICKY TREE the letters from each row Starting at the top, use arrive the row below until you to make a new word in t will tell with a six-letter word tha e tre the of se ba the at se men came from you where the three wi
t o N E
e R
I cker
eil Lo
by N
ers Answ age 2 on P
What is green, covered with tinsel and goes ‘ribbet ribbet’? Mistle–toad!
Why was the Christmas tree's friend so sad? It was a weeping willow!
CERD
Why did the Christmas tree go to the dentist? It needed a root canal!
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What did one angel say to the other? ‘Halo there!’
A TO Z Find the abetically listed OF CHRISTMAS alph Christmas-themed the grid WORDSEARCH words in ADVENT BELLS CARDS DINNER ELVES FIR GIFTS HOLLY IVY JESUS KINGS LOVE MYRRH NOËL ORNAMENTS PARTRIDGE QUEEN RUDOLPH SNOW TINSEL UNWRAP VEGETABLES WINTER XBOX YULE LOG ZECHARIAH S L L E B X T I N S E L W I N T E R I S E V L E H R R Y M J V S U S E J A D V E N T Y L L O H E I I S H P L O D U R Z G R N T S A Q U E E N G D A N F N R C S O X A O I H E I O W A N R B M L R C R G E N R O M O E E T E V O L U D W O X N L R Z K I N G S R I F T U A V E G E T A B L E S Y P 27/11/2020 13:18
t an idea to ve this winter, we’ve go f you want to get creati wed that Spirograph first wo help you. Did you know irograph , the original super Sp ell W ? 65 19 in ck ba children ever. is back and better than t, the ratch and Shimmer se Sc h ap gr iro Sp l na igi With the Or ate your Spiro-Tracks let you cre classic interchangeable to a whole es, taking your designs ap sh rn tte pa e iqu un re than own bo set, comes with mo jum is Th el. lev r pe su new and rk surface. storage case with a wo 75 pieces and a durable graph wheel to tal die-cast #50 Spiro me l rea a o als ’s ere on of Th ersary of the introducti niv an th 50 e th ate or commem sparkly h. You can also create the original Spirograp e Scratch r wheels included in th tte gli e th th wi ns sig de ason! rfect for the festive se and Shimmer set – pe tch win a Spirograph Scra For your opportunity to and low er the question be and Shimmer set, answ to e, address and answer email your full name, ag y.org.uk to reach us by kidsalive@salvationarm the winners will be Friday 8 January when etition’ put ‘Spirograph Comp chosen – remember to ing in u can also enter by fill in the subject box. Yo ng sti on below and po the details on the coup etition, Kids Alive! it to: Spirograph Comp ay, London SE1 6BN. 101 Newington Causew
Flairgp.co.uk
! N I W
In what year was Spirograph first released? 1945
1955
1965
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
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Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
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lifestyle and caring ve ti ac an d an y th al he Living a tual well-being. iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph
d n u o r A s a m t is r Ch the World
tmas presents on d go to open your Chris an d be of t ou t ge u yo d? They’ll have Did you know that when already be heading to be ll wi nd ala Ze w Ne in ren o barbecue Christmas morning child key dinner or tucking int tur a g tin ea , ies zz pre summer’s opening as’ even when it’s a hot already had a full day of tm ris Ch e hit ‘W to ng d singing alo d New Zealand is 13 food out on the deck, an nes around the world an zo e tim t en fer dif are re rate Christmas. day! That’s because the the first countries to celeb of e on e y’r the s an me That hours ahead of the UK.
nd a e b lo g e h t d n u ro a y e rn Let’s go on a jou day! ig b e h t e t ra b le e c s id k r see how some othe
ia s A h t u o S d n East a
and South Asia , many people in East nd ala Ze w Ne er aft s Christians. A couple of hour gh lots of them aren’t ou th en ev , as tm ris Ch . In fact will begin to celebrate ere are many Christians th rea Ko h ut So d an es ns in the world – However in the Philippin st Christmas celebratio ge lon e th of e on s ha into January! the Philippines 1 September and last as rly ea as up go n decorations ca
East Africa le in A little after Asia, peop wake to East Africa will begin ing. In up on Christmas morn celebrate Kenya people love to rbecued Christmas by eating ba d while rea meat with chapati flatb ily. fam enjoying time with their me sweet Then there might be so coffee! treats afterwards with
There are also many Christians in Goa, India who celebrate with Christmas carols, paper lanterns and packed midnight mass services.
Although 25 December will arrive in Ethiopia at the same time, Ethiopians’ traditional Christmas celebrations won’t be until 7 January as they use a different calendar to ours.
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Europe Greece
Ukraine
st Africa, At the same time as Ea Eastern Christmas will arrive in to rid try le Europe. Usually peop , webs but not their houses of spiders ! Because of an old in Ukraine at Christmas s decorate their legend, many Ukrainian tificial spiders webs. Christmas trees with ar
Germany
e for Germans An hour after Greece, it’s tim ny of the to celebrate Christmas. Ma come from UK’s Christmas traditions ’t taken off here Germany, but one that hasn is celebrated is St Nicholas’s Day which , children on 6 December. Traditionally s for clean and set out their shoe ts ee sw h St Nicholas to fill wit and small treats.
Iceland Iceland is also in the same time zon e as the UK. One of their Christmas traditions is the Yule Lads – 13 trol ls that visit during the festive period . Icelandic children leave shoes in their window and each night a different Yule Lad will visit and leave treats for the good kids and rotten potatoes for the naughty kid s!
USA
Moving on to the USA – Christmas there is very similar to the UK. However mince pies and Christmas puddings are not on the menu – many people prefer pumpkin or apple pie. And don’t expect a cracker to pull either!
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Honey cookies are big parts of a Greek Christmas and so are boats! Illuminated boats were a traditional part of a Greek Christmas. Although nowadays many Greeks have Christmas trees, it’s not unusual to see some boats still floating around.
West Africa At the same time as kids in the UK celebrate, child ren in West Africa will be ready for th eir big day too. Ghanaians love to get dressed up in their best clothing to go to church. There is also plenty of time with family sharing food, such as stew and rice.
South America
Next to celebrate Christmas will be lots of countries in South America. Colombia has some of the brightest celebrations in the world. There are lights everywhere and plenty of fireworks. Colombians also enjoy making friends or family work for their Christmas treats with little games or challenges, such as keeping a piece of straw in their mouth all day!
The last states to celebrat e Christmas in America are Alaska and Ha waii, and these two places couldn’t do Christm as more differently to each other. Alaska is a sn owy wonderland, whereas Hawaii is full of be autiful beaches, so it’s not surprising! Many Ha waiians celebrate Christmas with a roast pig cooked outdoors after a hula party. Whereas there’ s one place in Alaska where Christmas lasts all year – a town called North Pole!
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Part Three God Comes to the Shepherds Luke 2:8–20
Part Three God Comes to the Shepherds Luke 2:8–20
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Part Four God Comes to Anna, Simeon and the Wise Men Luke 2:22–38 and Matthew 2:1–13
Part Four God Comes to Anna Simeon and the Wise Men Luke 2:22–38 and Matthew 2:1–13
Justin Reeves/Steve English
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I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE IF WE EACH BOUGHT PATCH A CHRISTMAS PRESENT.
LET’S GET HIM SOMETHING A DOG WOULD REALLY LOVE…
…BUT WRAP IT UP SO THAT IT’S A REAL SURPRISE!
CHRISTMAS MORNING…
HAPPY CHRISTMAS, PATCH!
I RECKON YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT EACH OF US HAS BOUGHT YOU! HMMM … I THINK I MIGHT HAVE GUESSED ALREADY. HAPPY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!
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Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland, 2020. Printed by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell.
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