Advent and Christmas Resources 2025
A very popular resource page every year, we hope that the 2025 Advent and Christmas links will continue to be helpful to teachers, school workers, chaplains, volunteers, churches and parents alike.
On this page, you will find many links to a range of different organisations’ resources. At CVE Scotland, we are delighted to be able to signpost our users to these resources and want to thank and acknowledge the efforts of those who created them. Each organisation is listed in green, the link to the resource is underlined and the type of resource in most cases is in bold. To help you access exactly what suits your context best, they have been grouped into the following categories::
- Resources written for use in schools
- Assembly resources
- Resources written for use in other settings, e.g. church services, youth groups & Sunday schools
- Video resources
- Resources for families at home
- Advent and Christmas resources to purchase
1. Resources written for use in schools (but not exclusively!)
SU Scotland’s Explore Christmas – This free RME resource for children aged 8-11 is in line with the Scottish curriculum, exploring how and why Christians celebrate this time of the year by answering the question, ‘What is Christmas all about?’.
Launched last year, it includes three video episodes, featuring young hosts, animation and interviews with school children. The topics are ‘The Promise’, ‘The Surprise’ and ‘The Light’. It is accompanied by an extensive resource pack for teachers, including a wide range of cross-curricular activities. Register online for free and instant access.
The Scottish Bible Society’s Must Know Bible Stories provide a full teaching resource pack for the Bible story of Christmas that equips all teachers in their classroom. Each free, downloadable pack has lesson plans, story trails, story PowerPoints and additional resources such as bible text and sheets for games and quizzes. ready to use with a class as part of the RME curriculum or other activity. It also includes play-based activities such as a Nativity Play (The New King) which comes with a regal twist, and opportunities for lots of actors to get involved in the production. The Christmas Story Trails involves hunting for the characters, cracking the codes and solving the clues.
The resources are adapted to suit the appropriate age and stage; Early Years, First Level and Second Level. There is also a Must Know Bible Stories – Christmas pack for Assemblies, Nativity Plays and more.
The Church of Scotland’s ‘Illuminating Christmas’ Advent resource – published in 2023 and created by Robin and Katie Hill. Towards the end of the document (p.55) there are four pages which provide starters for midweek presentations, such as a school assembly, ‘Hope’, ‘Peace’, ‘Joy’ and ‘Love’.
Scripture Union England & Wales – The Grumpy Owl and the Joy of Christmas is the story of an owl who lives in a quiet barn when his life is turned upside down when a man, woman and donkey arrive. Suitable for primary aged children. A resource pack is also available that includes event ideas, session outlines and prompts to help you pause and reflect as in preparation to celebrate Christmas this year. A pack of 6 new-edition Grumpy Owl books, published in 2025 can also be purchased from the Church of England for £24.99
Scottish Catholic Education Service’s Advent Learning Resources
Learning resources for primary school, PowerPoint templates, Christmas card templates, Advent calendars and explainer videos. The ‘Advent in 2 minutes’ video explains what Advent is (and isn’t) about – and can be projected on to a classroom board at the start of the day or as a plenary after learning about Advent.
Out of the Ark’s Christmas section have a range of Christmas resources (some new for 2025) available for purchase, including Christmas songs, plays and nativities.
POP UK’s Free Song Bank – Discover Pop UK’s free Christmas song resources with a contemporary lively style that P4-P7s will love. Free registration for teachers.
Youth For Christ’s Re:Quest resource site has a section specifically for teachers in Scottish schools and many different types of resources for pupils in Primary and Secondary schools. Click on the Scotland image and then search for ‘Advent’ and ‘Christmas’ in the search bar and filter by year-group category.
The Bible Society (of England and Wales)’s ‘‘The Shiny Bright, Sparkling Light’ There is a free 9 minute video to download, described as a ‘cosy and creative reading’ of the book of the same name, suitable for primary aged children and to show in churches. There is also a nativity play to download and a chance to purchase copies of the book.
They also have new resources for 2025 including instant nativity and colouring sheets based on The Amazing Advent-ure! There are also Advent Reflections for newsletter subscribers sent every Friday based on Luke’s Gospel and the account of four witnesses to the birth of Jesus.
Launched in 2024 from Fischy Music, and still available to stream free on YouTube, is the song Peace and Joy This Christmas. This embraces and celebrates our diverse cultures at Christmas by singing Merry Christmas in English, French Spanish, Chinese and British Sign Language. Check out later this month for more updates!
Accessed via the The Diocese of Peterborough (Church of England) webpage, the Posada Resources are a fresh and different way to incorporate the Christmas nativity into the school day. The tradition of ‘posada’ (Spanish for ‘inn) comes from Mexico where small versions of Mary and Joseph travel round different households in the community to stay for one night. The tradition symbolises welcoming the unborn Christ child into our homes and hearts and the resources are adapted to use in schools, with PowerPoint slide resources, teacher guide and an example timetable.
2. Assembly resources
Here are a selection of assemblies for different age groups for either teachers to use in front of a class, or for someone to record on video and then send into school:
CVE Scotland Chaplaincy Project Leader Steve Younger’s ‘Seasons’ booklet has 10 detailed outlines for Christmas assemblies and his YouTube channel features short videos which can be reproduced yourself.
‘Christmas Unwrapped’ for Secondary school, complete with text, questions, quiz and CfE Es & Os references.
‘Pass the Parcel’ is a good example of an assembly created by Scripture Union England and Wales which can easily be adapted to suit Scottish schools.
There are some good Secondary and Primary assemblies and other resources available free on the Salvation Army website. It includes songs and downloadable resources such as question cards, challenges and slide presentations.
Barnabus in Schools also has many resources but these are written with the English National Curriculum in mind.
‘Christmas: What’s in a Name?‘ video by Robyn Welsby is really excellent, looking at the anticipation of Christ and could be used for an assembly or Time for Reflection.
The Scottish Bible Society, as part of their Must Know Bible Stories series, have a produced a Christmas pack for Assemblies and Nativity Plays
3. Resources written for use in other settings, e.g. youth groups & Sunday schools
The Children’s Society Christingle resources – new resources have been published for 2025 and improvements made to existing ones after feedback. The symbolism of the Christingle is an excellent way of communicating and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. Perhaps your class or group could create some and reflect using this symbol, or a chaplain could provide a school class with the materials and then talk the young people through the symbolism? It includes a free service template download with readings and prayers, space to add your own hymns or carols all on Word before printing it out to use at your service.
For young people who are already Christians, Missional Generations ‘12 Revelations of Christmas’ is a novel pack which includes a booklet, craft activities and cards with links to an Augmented Reality experience. These could be used in a range of settings, including in churches, schools (e.g. prayer space) and personal use. Some have used it to run a geocache style hunt or a Christmas journey across a town. There are lots of ‘how to’ videos and help via the website!
Created to use in churches, at the Scottish Bible Society’s website you can download a set of five Advent and Christmas all-age service plans to explore the Christmas story using Luke chapters 1 and 2. Each lesson has a different Advent theme – Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. The first three weeks provide an all-age section for a Sunday Service and two separate programmes for children’s groups and youth groups. For the final Sunday in Advent and the first week after Christmas, there is a complete intergenerational service plan reflecting on the final section of Luke chapter 2.
Faith in Kids, in conjunction with The Good Book Company and Go Chatter, have created a three week Sunday school series called The Christmas Story Brick by Brick with brilliant surprises to unpack:
- Mary meets a real live angel
- A King picks a manger for his cradle
- Forgotten shepherds are invited to meet the new-born Saviour
There are lesson plans, visuals and a parental take-home sheet.
Evangelical Alliance’s Christmas 2023 leaders pack – download reflections, questions and ideas from the EA’s member’s area to help equip yourself with some essentials to share over the Christmas season.
Christian Aid’s 2025 Christmas resources available for download include Advert and Christmas service plans, prayer packs, Big Sing Guide and a Christmas film.
Church of England’s 2025 YouTube webinar on their 2025 Christmas theme – Joy – being the good news the angel declared to shepherds will help make the most of their resources this year. The news of Jesus’ birth as Emmanuel – God with Us – brings Joy. A host of resources are available for schools, churches and individuals.
The Salvation Army’s Love Came Down 2025 resources are designed to use over the Advent period and include sermon starters, short thoughts, editable posters, colouring sheets, a three-minute reflection video and prayers for community activities.
Not a resources as such, but here is an activity which some may like to participate in! Shine Your Light is a nationwide Christmas campaign taking place between 12th – 14th December 2025 with over 112.000 Christians from over 700 churches taking their Carol services and nativity events into shopping centres, town halls, high streets and public spaces in 2024. To find out more, go to their website to register.
New for 2025 is a series of resources specifically created to help reach out to men at this time of year. Christian Vision for Men’s material will help connect with visitors, particularly men who may not be familiar with church. For many, Christmas might be the only time they step inside, making it a valuable opportunity to welcome them warmly.
The Methodist Church have produced a range of different resources for 2025 Advent and Christmas on the theme Gifted – a message of good news to a weary world… The resources are designed to support worship, welcome, and witness – including service outlines, small group materials, outreach ideas, posters, postcards, digital assets and more.
4. Video resources
You be aware of The Chosen TV series which is a Christian, historical drama series with over 108 million viewers and directed by Dallas Jenkins whose father is the novelist behind the Left Behind series. The pilot edition called The Shepherd is available on YouTube and lasts just under 19 minutes. There are also other episodes such as a special Christmas edition.
Drama Kirk has some wonderful resources, freely available, for schools, churches and community groups to include in your celebrations.
These include nativity titles; Jerusalem News and the Shepherd’s Christmas. On their YouTube channel we can also access a series of four performed poems to take you through sections of Bob Hartman’s Rhyming Bible; A Women called Mary, Joseph, Don’t Worry, It Begins in Bethlehem and One Hump, Two Hump. These four online videos are a fun and engaging way to share the Christmas story, especially suitable for primary-school aged children:
A Woman Called Mary (3.5 minutes) – Mary is getting on with her chores, when she has an unexpected visitor…an angel! The angel has some amazing new. Mary is going to have a baby! A very special baby!
Joseph, Don’t Worry (3 minutes) – Mary is engaged to Joseph, but now he hears she is going to have a baby. Will they still get married? Join Joseph for a sleepless night, when he has his own special visitor.
It Begins in Bethlehem (4.5 minutes) – Shepherds, on a hill, have their encounter with the Angels; who explain why this baby is so very special. And so the very first Christmas begins, in Bethlehem.
One Hump, Two Humps (4 minutes) – The Wisemen are watching the skies and see a new star, meaning a new king has been born! They follow the star to King Herod, expecting to find the Royal Baby in a palace. Will the Wisemen find the baby? And how will Herod react to a new King?
“Shepherd’s Christmas” by Jeannette Walters (14.5 minutes) – A lovely short film, which tells the story of a young boy on a farm, helping his Dad with chores. A little reluctantly. His Dad tells him the story of the Shepherds that very first Christmas, tending their sheep on a hillside. An angel appears to them, bringing glad tidings of the new King, born that very night.
Share the wonder of the Shepherds this Christmas as they go from tending their flock to being the very first visitors to the new-born King.
Jerusalem News by Ray Markham (11.5 minutes)
A fun film and a different take on the nativity, with excellent scope for follow on discussion. Whilst the film can be enjoyed by any age group, it is particularly suitable for P4 to S2.The first ever Christmas from the perspective of a newsroom, looking for a fresh scoop. Will they cover the story of this baby, supposedly born to be the saviour of all mankind?
Gochattervideos.com has a huge collection suitable for children and young people at different stages of their faith journey.
Out of the Box (Scotland) has a virtual video Advent Calendar on its YouTube channel and Cosmo and friends will count you down to Christmas. Chris Watt supported the CVE Scotland Catalyst event during 2025 and CVE Scotland is delighted to direct you to their resources. Out of the Box also has some fun Christmas song puppet parodies.
Island ECC, a non-denominational Christian church in Hong Kong, has produced an animated short video story called ‘The Best Gift’ that is found on YouTube. It highlights the shallowness of much that passes for Christmas and where the true meaning lies.
Church of England’s Collective Worship for Secondary Schools – Christmas published in 2020 as part of the Faith at Home series during lock-down, but is still relevant and useable today. Lasting 7 minutes, the video uses young presenters to explain the truth of the Lord’s birth.
Youthscape have a free, downloadable video called Jesus:Truth or Fairytale that asks the simple but profound question – what if this story we tell each year was real? It has been created as a multi-use resource that can be played in small group discussions, on school television screens, in church youth groups, in lessons or assemblies and even to share on a mobile phone. A subtitled version can be used to show in public areas on loop.
The Bible Project website has a collection of Christmas videos including Luke in 40 Languages and a guide for non-Christians to the meaning of Advent – Advent Season: What Is It, and How Is It Celebrated?
The Christian BSL website has translations of Christmas carols into British Sign Language (BSL) and words and phrases related to Advent and Christmas to help include the Deaf community in celebrations. The videos are presented by Deaf BSL users who are practising Christians. The presenting team includes professional translators and interpreters, church leaders, and tutors. You can download the videos to include in online and onsite carol services, Bible studies, school assemblies, nativity plays, church groups, workshops.
5. Resources for families at home
Out of the Box (Scotland) has a Christmas Family Series that aims to inspire children through performing arts. Each of the 4 video episodes lasts approximately 30 minutes and follows the Out of the Box office team as they struggle to prepare for an online production on Christmas Eve. Hope emerges in the form of their charismatic director, Dave the Sheep! Will they be able to pull together to make this the joyful Christmas that everyone needs?
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as part of their Spoken Out podcast series, the Scottish Bible Society have a 20 part audio drama series called The Advent about the fulfilment of long awaited promises, about light in the darkness, presence in loneliness and hope in despair.
Church of England’s ‘Follow the Star: Calm and Bright‘ – December can feel like chaos and this series offers a meditation from Christmas Eve to the Eve of Epiphany (5 January) with a reflection, challenge and prayer based on a short Bible reading designed to help find moments of calm as well as bright joy through the season. There are booklets, bookmarks, family prayer card and an Advent calendar to purchase as part of this 2024 series.
The Godventure website is a treasure trove of ideas, especially for those with younger children. However, many of these ideas can be used as gifts and activities on your own, with schools and other groups with (and without!) children. ‘50 Faith at Home Ideas for Christmas’ is a great place to start reading and has links to download or purchase relevant bits from there (e.g. sticker Advent Calendars, Advent party packs, thankfulness posters, Christmas card prayer bingo cards). The Godventure site also has details on how to hold an outdoor Christmas party.
Other good lists of Christmas activities to use in the home can be found on the Hope-Filled Family and Strong Catholic Family Faith websites.
Parenting for Faith has some thought-provoking articles around issues at Christmas which are worth a browse, including how to throw Jesus a birthday party and how to decide on your family’s approach to Father Christmas.
New from Parenting for Faith in 2025 is a YouTube video on how to make Christmas as impactful as possible. This part of their Lunch with Leaders series to support and equip children, youth and families leaders in churches.
6. Advent and Christmas resources to purchase
The Scottish Bible Society has Advent Bunting which is designed both as a decoration (for classrooms and at home) and as an interactive advent calendar, for all ages to engage with the story of Christmas through daily readings and activities. Each day one of the numbered cards are taken down, read and with instructions for an activity that the whole family can enjoy. Designed to be shared, they are sold with a minimum order of 20 packs (each pack with 25 cards inside) at a cost of £1 per pack.
They also have a reprint of their 2024 Advent booklet There is Light on sale, designed to bring the Christmas story to life through daily readings and reflections, using Scripture from the NIrV text. Designed to be shared, they are also sold with a minimum order of 20 copies at a cost of £1 per booklet. Larger orders qualify for a discount. There is also a chance to follow on Instagram (@scottishbiblesociety) from 1 December 2024 for the daily audio experience.
The society have also Luke: The Light Inside which is the Gospel in a fresh with contemporary images in a magazine style at £2 to help tell the story of Jesus – perfect for a Secret Santa gift for teaching/work colleagues!
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) have a range of Children’s Christmas books to purchase at Children’s Christmas – SPCK Publishing
Galilee Books are a small, independent Christian bookshop at 36 Battlefield Road, Glasgow and have a range of advent and Christmas books and devotionals available to purchase. Find out more from their Facebook page.
Youth For Christ has produced some Christmas cards as part of their ‘Go Colour’ range. The Yo-Ho-Go Colour cards are £12 for 6 including delivery.
The Bible Society have a range of new resources to buy in 2025 including Christmas stickers based on John 8.12 – Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world’, booklets suitable for toddlers called Who can it be? and a revamped carol booklet with bible verses and explanations.
SCIAF have a PowerPoint, Educational Booklet and Activity Sheets linked to the Scottish Education Curriculum for Excellence Es and Os, that explains how buying gifts at Christmas can make a real difference to those in poverty, whilst upholding the Christian faith. There is also a Christmas gift catalogue.
If you are an organisation with Advent or Christmas resources that you would like us to share, please email our Senior Administrator, Lynn MacMillan cve@cve-scotland.org.uk