Here in Guatemala, Christmas can be a bit of shock for Christians from overseas. Here the majority of the population are nominal Catholics. So churches and many shopping centres have very large nativity scenes -- although I've seen some that have replaced the shepherds and Wise Men with Reindeer and Santa Clause queueing up outside the stable. Many of the Catholic churches have vigils and processions.
On the other hand, many Evangelical / Protestant churches see the Christmas celebrations as too materialistic - or as having a too big a focus on Mary, that they decide not to celebrate Christmas at all.
It can be difficult to talk about the real story of Christmas in that atmosphere. But one of the projects where one of the Striders is working have taken on the challenge. Aulas Abiertas (Open Classrooms) is an educational project in Zaragoza, supporting children who are at risk of dropping out of school. This week they've held a kids holiday club, helping the children understand the real message of Christmas. The week culminated today with a performance of 'Living Bethlehem' in the town square of Zaragoza. The performance involved all the children who had attended the club this week, as well as live animals and a real baby - so definitely drew a crowd.
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