ALL 105 children of Kilkhampton Village Primary School, along with the Pre-school, visited St James’ Church recently, where they were able to hear and learn, in a different way, the message of Christmas.

Inside the church the children discovered six areas, created and manned by local people from the village, who engaged the children with scenes of the events leading up to the stable birth.

In the first scene the children, while sitting around a candlelit Advent crown, were asked to weave lametta in and out of a pine cone, reflecting on how people prepare their homes and their hearts for Christmas. In ‘Mary’s kitchen’ the children heard the story of the angel’s visit and, to help them remember, they made flowery biscuits.

At the third station the children thought about going on a long journey, by tracing it on a giant map and arriving at Bethlehem to find there was no room at the inn and no where to stay.

Moving on, there was a chance to sample the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then they wrote what gift they would like to give, put it in their own box and bring it at the end to the Nativity crib. Next, in front of a hastily abandoned log fire, with a shepherd’s crook nearby, the children were asked to guess who might have been in this place. There they scratched on a silver angel, their own message of peace — ‘Peace be with you this Christmas, love from…’

At the end, everyone gathered around the crib of the baby Jesus, where the children presented their gift boxes and reflected on the idea that Jesus is sometimes called ‘God’s Gift to the World’. The whole of the ‘St James Christmas Experience’ ended with everyone joining in and singing a carol.

Rev Ward-Smith expressed his thanks to Sister Alison, Mrs Fiona Cleve, Mrs Judith Herd, Mrs Debbie Dauber and Mrs Ward-Smith and all those who helped to make the event such a worthwhile and traditional festive occasion.