The Christingle is a Christian symbol of Jesus as the 'Light of the World'.

• The orange stands for the world.
• The candle stands for Jesus.
• The fruit stands for the fruits of the Earth.
• The four cocktail sticks stand for the four seasons.
• The red ribbon stands for Jesus' death to save the world.

The first Christingle service was held on 20th December 1747 at Marienborn, Germany. The pastor, John de Watteville, encouraged people to take the Christingles home and place them in their cottage windows to show the light of Christ to passers-by. Over two hundred years later, in 1968, the first Christingle services were started in England by The Children's Society.

To make your own Christingle, you will need:

• An orange
• A candle
• A red ribbon
• Four blunted cocktail sticks
• Some dried fruit
• Some foil (to catch drips from the candle)

For more information about Christingles, write to The Church of England Children's Society,
Edward Rudolph House, Margery Street, London WC1X OJL.