Faith Christian School embraces the Christmas season with a variety of special traditions each year. Some have been part of our community for years, while others have been introduced more recently. Together, they offer students, faculty, staff, and families meaningful opportunities to enjoy festive activities and reflect on the true spirit of Christmas.

The Parent Volunteer Organization kicks off the month by decking the halls in the school!  Many volunteers meet before students and teachers return from Thanksgiving break to put up trees, wreaths, and lights—inside and out!  It is always a warm feeling to walk into school on Monday and see the decorations.

A beloved tradition in the Lower School is the Kindergarten Christmas Play, “This is the Stable" by Cynthia Cotton. For many, many years, kindergarten students have presented the true meaning of Christmas through this performance during the first week of December for their families, the lower school students and teachers, and their senior buddies!  Ask students who were at FCS in Kindergarten, and they can tell you what role they played in the performance. 

Another tradition for the Lower School is the annual Christmas program.  Performed in the evening under the direction of Music Teacher, Abbi French, this program brings together all students in Junior Kindergarten through fifth grade, plus performances by Cavatina and Orff Ensemble.  Students sing together as a full ensemble and in smaller groups and student readers share scripture about the Christmas season. 

Christmas at FCS is also a time of fellowship between our “buddies.”  The Seniors and their Kindergarten buddies and the Junior Kindergarteners and their fifth-grade buddies meet up in December to have Christmas parties where they exchange gifts, enjoy treats, crafts, and Christmas stories, and continue to further the bonds that have been building since the start of the school year. 

The entire school comes together for the All-School Christmas Carol Chapel later in December. The chapel begins in darkness with the faculty and staff holding candles and singing “Silent Night.” The Middle and Upper School Praise Band or sometimes a faculty ensemble leads congregational-style singing of traditional Christmas carols.

In addition, the Student Government Association plans many fun activities for Middle and Upper School students during Christmas Spirit Week, the week before exams. There are door decorating contests, estimation jars, cookie and hot chocolate treats, and, of course, the favorite tradition of Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. The week wraps with a Christmas party on Saturday night where a Christmas movie is viewed with fun eats and more games and crafts.  

The Lower School gets in on the fun with their estimation jar activities in the weeks prior to Christmas, and the last activity before the break is classroom parties! Students arrive in their Christmas attire, fun or dressy, and parent volunteers plan meals games and crafts—a fun time is certainly had by all!

Once all the students have left for break, the faculty, staff, and administration gather for a Christmas luncheon and time of fellowship. That wraps up a December full of fun and traditions for all ages and grades for teachers and parents!  Christmas at FCS is a special time enjoyed by all!

-Shelly Whitaker
Special Events Coordinator, School Photographer, & Go-To Guru For All Things Faith Christian School