Christmas Mass

Christmas is an important holiday in Switzerland.  Most of the country celebrates even if their personal religious views are not traditional.  In Switzerland, the season for Christmas begins in early December when the Christmas markets pop up around the country.  Christmas Markets are temporary markets that house crafts for gifts, decorations for the Christmas tree or home and of course, food and drink.  Hot drinks such as mulled wine or hot chocolate are traditional favorites to keep fair attendees warm while they shop.

There are a few key Christmas dates in Switzerland:  December 6 is Saint Nicolas’ Day which is celebrated by putting small tokens of candy in the shoes of children to remember the legend of Saint Nicholas (who threw a bag of coins into a chimney of a poor family and the bag of coins fell into socks drying by the fire).  Then of course December 24 (Christmas Eve) and December 25 (Christmas Day) both of which are celebrated with family and friends over a meal.

At Saint-Charles, we celebrate the final day of the fall term with a special mass to remember the significance of the year.  We pause for a moment together our school’s historic chapel to offer gratitude; gratitude for our minds, our spirits and our community.  This tradition starts because we are a Swiss Catholic School and we maintain it despite our ever diversifying population of students because life is more rich when we take a moment to be thankful.  It’s a beautiful practice that prepares us to be ready for the coming year.

Thanks to all our students who participated today in our Mass; we are deeply thankful for your inspiration and perseverance this year.  Thank you to our teachers; your countless hours of hard work makes a difference in the lives of our students.  Thank you to our staff; your work in countless ways makes the school a great place to be, from answering parent questions to making sure our campus is beautiful- we thank you!