THE FISH WRAP

The Catholic Parishes of

Saint John Capistran Immaculate Conception Holy Rosary

Christmas SPECIAL EDITION De-

MERRY CHRISTMAS On behalf of Reverend Mister Bill O’Donnell and Judy, Helen Glat ter and Father Alexander Borzych, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May Christ bring you joy and be with each and ever one of you during this Glorious

A Christmas Quiz Test your children's biblical knowledge and enhance your own with this challenging quiz! The answers are all to be found in the Bible in Matthew's Gospel chapters 1 and 2. Or in Luke's Gospel chapter 1 and chapter 2 verses 1 to 40. DIRECTIONS 1. In Matthew's Gospel how many generations are recorded between Abraham and the Messiah? 2. How many gifts did the Wise Men bring to Jesus? 3. In the accounts of Jesus' birth how many visits from an-gels are there? 4. How many months did Mary stay with her cousin Eliza-beth while they were both pregnant? 5. How old was Anna the prophetess? 6. How many months had Elizabeth been pregnant when the angel appeared to Mary? 7. How many different names are given to Jesus in these passages? 8. How many times do angels say 'Do not be afraid'? 9. How many prophecies are quoted from the Old Testa-ment in the Matthew passages? 10. How many days old was Jesus when he was circumcised and given his name? Answers on back page

Christmas traditions 1. The Star of Bethlehem that led the three wise men to Jesus. 2. Christmas Seals. The first seals were offered in 1904 for 25 for one penny. The seals raised $3,000 that Christmas season and are credited with spreading the word that the "White Plague" could be beaten. 3. The Christmas card is credited to Louis Prang. 4. According to superstition, oxen kneel at midnight on Christ mas Eve. 5. Woolworths is credited with instituting the Christmas bonus.

Christmas history in America 1. Louisiana and Arkansas were the first states to make Christmas an official holiday in 1831. 2. It was signed into law as an official holiday on June 26, 1870, by President Ulysses Grant. 3. In 1856, Franklin Pierce was the first president to bring a Christ mas tree into the White House. A native of New Hampshire, Christ mas tree decorating was a tradition in his state. 4. Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up one week. Before the Depression, Thanksgiving was held on the last Thursday in November. Now, it's the fourth Thursday of the month. 5. President Jimmy Carter broke the tradition of lighting the entire national Christmas tree to honor the American hostages in Iran

Christmas Hymns & Carols Quiz 1. Which song’s second line begins with "Led by the light of faith serenely beaming"?

O Holy Night Nuttin's for Christmas The Christmas

Song We Three Kings 2. Which song begins with "Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!"?

Sleigh Ride O Come, O Come Emmanuel Joy to the

World Mary's Boy Child 3. Which hymn’s second verse begins with "Christ by highest heav'n adored"?

What Child Is This? O Holy Night Silver BellsHark The Herald Angels Sing

4. Which Christmas song’s second verse begins with "Still through the cloven skies they come"?

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear I Heard The Bells On

Christmas Day The 12 Days Of Christmas O Christmas Tree

5. Which Christmas hymn’s second verse begins with "O sing, choirs of angels"?

Home For The Holidays O Come All Ye Faithful

Good King Wenceslas Away In A Manger 6. Which Christmas song’s second verse begins with "The cat-tle are lowing"?

The Greatest Gift Of All O Little Town Of Bethlehem

Away In A Manger Jingle Bell Rock 7. Which Christmas hymn’s second verse begins with "For Christ is born of Mary"?

O Little Town Of Bethlehem In Excelsis Gloria

Home For The Holidays Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 8. Which Christmas songs’ second verse begins with "See the blazing Yule before us"?

The Hollyl And The Ivy Jingle Bells Deck The Halls

Must Be Santa 9. Which Christmas hymn’s second verse begins with "Born a king on Bethlehem's plain"?

O Little Town Of Bethlehem Go Tell It On The Mountain

Gentle Mary Laid Her Child We Three Kings 10. Which song’s second line begins with “They looked up and saw a star”?

The First Noel Angels, From The Realm Of Glory

Good Christian Men Rejoice I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day Answers on back page

Oh, Christmas tree 1. The tree is a pagan symbol for life enduring the winter. Christmas tree ornaments were originally apples, symbol izing the Garden of Eden. 2. German settlers in Pennsylvania in the 1800s were the first in America to decorate their homes with fir trees. 3. Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert, brought the Christmas tree tradition with him to England. A sketch of the royal family in front of a Christmas tree in 1846 made the practice immediately fashionable. 4. According to legend, Martin Luther was walking home through a forest of fir trees, brought one home for his chil dren and decorated it with candles to represent the beauty of the stars shining down. 5. The invention of electric lights for Christmas trees helped popularize the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree. Elec tric Christmas tree lights replaced the dangerous candles that often caused fires in homes.

Religion 1. Christians started celebrating the birthday of Jesus in the fourth century. 2. The first Christmas was called the Feast of the Nativity. 3. Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar were the names of the three wise men. They saw the Star of Bethlehem and traveled from the East to see the baby Jesus. 4. Midnight Mass was introduced by the Roman Catholic Church in the fifth century. 5. Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. It ends at sundown on Christmas Eve.

Christmas IQ Quiz

1. Joseph was originally from... (Luke 2:3) A. Bethlehem B. Nazareth C. Hebron D. Jerusalem E. None of the above 2. What does the Bible say that the innkeeper said to Mary and Joseph? (Luke 2:7) A. “There is no room in the inn.” B. “I have a stable you can use.” C. “Come back later and I should have some vacan cies.” D. Both A and B E. None of the above 3. A manger is a... A. Stable for domestic animals B. Wooden hay storage bin C. Feeding trough D. Barn 4. Which animals does the Bible say were present at Jesus’ birth? A. Cows, sheep, goats B. Cows, donkeys, goats C. Sheep and goats only D. Miscellaneous barnyard animals E. None of the above 5. Who saw the star in the east? A. Shepherds B. Mary and Joseph C. Three kings D. Both A and C E. None of the above 6. According to the Bible, how did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem? A. Camel B. Donkey C. Walked D. Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey E. Horse-drawn chariot F. Who knows? 7. How many angels spoke to the shepherds? (Luke 2:10) A. One B. Three C. Multitude D. None of the above 8. What did the angels say/sing? (Luke 2:14) A. “Glory to God in the highest, etc.” B. “Alleluia” C. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” D. “Joy the world, the Lord is come” E. “Glory to the newborn King” 9. What is a heavenly host? A. The angel at the gate of heaven B. The angel who serves refreshments in heaven C. An angel choir D. An angel ar my E. None of the above 10. There was snow that first Christmas... A. Only in Bethlehem B. All over Israel C. Nowhere in Israel D. Somewhere in Israel 11. What is frankincense? A. A precious metal B. A precious fabric C. A precious per fume D. None of the abov 12. In Matthew, what does “wise men” or “Magi” refer to? A. Men of the educated class B. Eastern kings C. Men who studied the stars D. Sages 13. What is myrrh? A. Middle Eastern money B. A drink C. An easily shaped metal D. A spice used for burying people E. None of the above 14. How many wise men came to see Jesus? A. 3 B. 6 C. 9 D. 12 E. We don’t know. 15. Where did the wise men find Jesus? (Matthew 2:11) A. In a manger B. In a stable C. In Nazareth D. In Saudi Arabia E. In a house F. None of the above 16. When the wise men found Jesus he was... (Matthew 2:11) A. A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes B. A young child C. A boy in the temple D. A grown man 17. The “star in the east” that the wise men followed... (Matthew 2:9) A. Stayed in the same place their entire journey B. Disappeared and reappeared C. Moved ahead of them and stopped over the place where Jesus was D. Was just a mirage E. None of the above

18. The wise men stopped in Jerusalem... (Matthew 2:2) A. To inform Herod about Jesus B. To find out where Jesus was C. To ask about the star D. To buy presents E. None of the above 19. Where do we find the Christmas story? A. Matthew B. Mark C. Luke D. John E. All of the above F. Only A and B G. Only A and C H. Only A, B and C 20. When Joseph found Mary was pregnant, what happened? A. They got married B. Joseph wanted to break the engagement C. Mary left town for three months D. A and B E. B and C 21. Who told (made) Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem? (Luke 2:1-5) A. The angel chorus B. Mary’s mother C. Herod D. The shepherds E. Caesar Augustus Answers on back page

Santa 1.Yes. St. Nicholas was a fourth century bishop with a reputation for gift-giving. St. Nicholas' Day was Dec. 6. 2. The Salvation Army first dressed men up in Santa suits to solic it donations. In the 1890s the organization raised money to pay for the free Christmas meals they provided to needy fami lies. 3. Santa has nine reindeer if you count Rudolph. 4. The names of Santa's other reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. 5. Clement C. Moore is the author who first gave names to Santa's reindeer.

The Story Of The Christmas Robin The Christmas night was extremely cold and a cold breeze blew con-stantly into the stable where Mother Mary lay with her infant, Jesus. The fire in the stable, the only source of heat for the baby, was about to go off and all that Mary could do was call the surrounding animals for help. She asked the sleeping ox, lazy donkey, horse and the sheep, but they were either of no use or just refused to help. Sud-denly, Mary heard the flapping sound of wings. A robin had heard Mother Mary's cry for help and had flown to the stable to help her out. The robin flapped his wings hard at the dying embers of fire until the fire was rekindled and became bright red. He fanned con-tinuously, flapping hard so that the fire never went out and kept the baby warm. To ensure that the fire stayed alive, the robin used his beak and dropped some dry sticks in the fire. This caused the fire to rise abruptly and it burnt the breast of the bird. Despite the burns that he received, the bird didn't bother and continued fanning so that the infant could be kept warm for long enough to sleep com-fortably. Mother Mary heartily thanked the robin for his efforts and tenderly looked at his breast that was now red with the burns and blessing him for his deed of valor and selflessness.

Christmas quiz answers: 1: 42, 2: 3, 3: 6, 4: 3, 5: 84, 6: 6, 7: 12, (Immanuel, Jesus, Messiah, King of the Jews, Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham, Son of the Most High, Son of God, Lord, Saviour, Nazarene), 8: 4, 9: 5, 10: 8.

Christmas Hymns & Carols Quiz 1.O Holy Night, 2.Joy to the World , 3. Hark The Herald Angels Sing , 4. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear, 5. O Come All Ye Faithful, 6.Away In A Manger, 7. O Little Town Of Bethlehem , 8. The Holly And The Ivy , 9. O Little Town Of Bethlehem , 10. The First Noel

Christmas IQ Quiz 1. A. (See Luke 2:3) 2. E. Luke 2:7). 3. C. Feeding trough 4. E. 5. E. 6. F. 7. A. Luke 2:10. 8. A. Luke 2:14. 9. D. 10. D. 11. C. 12. C. Daniel 5:11 13. D. 14. E. We don’t know. 15. E. Read Matthew 2:11 16. B. Read Matthew 2:11 17. C. Matthew 2:9 18.B.Matthew 2:2. Micah 5:2), 19. G. 20. E. Matthew 1:19 and Luke1:39,56 21. E. (Luke 2:1-5).

Food 1. Originally, sugar plums were sugar-coated coriander. Today they are often dried or candied fruit coated in icing. 2. Turkey is the most popular main course for Christmas dinner. 3. Eggnog was created in the United States. 4. Flour is the main ingredient in gingerbread cookies. 5. More than 1.76 billion candy canes are produced annually in the United States.

Gifts/toys 1. Rosie O'Donnell sparked the Furby craze when she mentioned the toy on her television show. 2. The best-selling toys in 2001 were based on "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." 3. The pet rock was the "pet" gift in 1975. 4. In 1955, lots of little boys wanted and received coonskin hats. 5. The must-have kids' gift in 1957 was the hula hoop.

Legend of Christmas Stockings

In yet another version of the story of Saint Nicholas lies the origin of the tradition of washing the stockings on the night before Christmas and hanging them up on the window sill or near the hearth, in readiness to receive gifts from Santa. It is said to happen 17 centuries ago in Turkey. Here the Bishop of Myra, Nicholas was known all over for his be-nevolence and love for children. He used to distribute gifts secretly to children on Christmas Eve as a surprise for them. While he was passing a house he heard a father and his daughters lamenting their poverty and how they were un-able to be married because they could not provide dowry that was prevalent in those days.

Overcome with pity and sympathy, Nicholas observed the woolen stockings of the girls that they had put on the win-dowsill to dry and secretly placed enough gold pieces in each to provide dowry for the girls. Another variations of the cus-tom of hanging out stockings for Santa Claus (popular name for Saint Nicholas) are putting hay and carrots in their shoes by Dutch children for the horse of their dear Sinterklass who is their patron saint and brings them presents. Swedish chil-dren wait for a kindly gnome called the Tomte instead of Santa on Christmas. This gnome is believed to live under the floorboards. In some parts of France, Mexico and Spain, chil-dren wait for the Three Kings to fill their shoes with pre-sents.

However, children of north French pray that Pere Fouet-tard or Father Spanker would not visit them as he is reputed to punish and spank children, if they are naughty and bad. La Befana is another version of Santa that visits the Italian chil-dren and gives them gifts albeit on Epiphany or 6th of Janu-ary. Agios Vasilis, the Saint of Letters visit the Greek children living in plains but those living in the mountains are taken care of by the tiny elves who bring the desired gifts to the good little children. The tradition of giving gifts reminds us that Jesus himself was a gift to the world and the gifts that he received when he was born.

Legend of the Christmas Spider Long, long ago, on one Christmas Eve, the spiders were banished from homes while the houses were cleaned for Christmas and their webs were broken. They just managed to survive and had to move to the farthest corner of the attic for the time being. How-ever, some of the young spiders longed to see the decorated Christmas trees and the little Christ child that came to bless the homes in the midnight. The elders tried to make them understand that they were not allowed inside the rooms but the young spiders were quite curious and adamant. Finally, the oldest and wisest spider came up with a solution and suggested that in the night, when everybody went to bed, perhaps they could creep out of their corners and get a closer look of the magical Christmas tree.

Even the adult spiders felt the thrill of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them and in midnight, when the house of a noble family was dark and silent and everybody was fast asleep, spiders crept out of their hiding place and slowly reached the Christmas tree. They were so captivated by the ethereal beauty that they spent all night in the tree, crawling up and down and examining its beautiful ornaments. They could not curb their urge to weave pretty and delicate spider webs all over the tree as they danced on its branches. In the wee hours of the morning, the little Christ child came to bless the house. He was surprised to find little spiders and their webs on the tree.

He knew that every creature was made by God and yet he knew how the mother who had worked hard all day to make everything perfect would be dismayed to find the spider webs on its tree. Thus, with a heart full of love and a lovely bewitching smile on his lips, the Christ child gently touched the spider webs and set them sparkling and shining in silver and golden colors that made the Christmas tree look even more beautiful than before. It is said that this is how tinsel was introduced to decorate Christmas trees. Some people also hang a plastic spider in remembrance of the de-voted little spiders who worked hard that Christmas Eve.