Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7493
20 December 2025
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
BBC picture
tyle and caring and an active lifes Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. l, for your physica
this week...
A History of Christmas
this week...
Love is Powerful
Joy to the World WIN!
care c r S ’ e o s w h We T dding Th
ing that n d d oo e w ne e
will e
ver forget!
Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 20 December.indd 1
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What’s Inside?
Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers
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The Scarecrows’ Wedding and Ed’s Bit
4–5
KA! JAM
6
Joy to the World
7
When I Grow Up
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
10
Games Bundle Competition
11
Colouring Corner
12–13 KA! World
DOWN: 1 Lily. 2 New. 4 Robin. 5 East. 6 Armrest. 10 Eagle. 11 Plod. 12 Snow. 15 Vet. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Lang. 3 Tree. 7 Lower. 8 Bus. 9 Hearing. 13 Log. 14 Seven. 16 Deer. 17 Stew. BIG MYSTERY: Straw. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: 1 The scarecrow’s nose is now a diamond shape. 2 The ends of the scarecrow’s smile are missing. 3 There is a yellow button missing from the dress. 4 There is an extra flower in the middle of the dress. 5 The straw from the scarecrow’s legs is missing. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE TRICKY TREE: 1 La. 2 Lab. 3 Bale or able. 4 Table. 5 Stable. PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 4.
14–15 Your Space Love our comic? Check out Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Saturday and Monday at 7.30–8am and every Sunday at 9–9.30am
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your morning started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles
e Availabl online!
16
Patch’s Pals Naughty Norman
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Hey there, readers! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this issue of Kids Alive! If you would like to get your own copy delivered to your home every week, why not add Kids Alive! to your Christmas list and ask your parents or carers to take out a subscription* for you? Every week, Kids Alive! includes a cartoon Bible story, a competition, puzzles, jokes, comic strips and topical activities and articles for you to enjoy. Ask your parents or carers to go to sps-shop.com/kids-alive, call 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email subscriptions@satcol.org to set up a subscription. *A subscription costs just £4.33 a month (or a one-off payment of £52). This subscription offer applies in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with 51 copies delivered over 12 months. Please note that different prices apply to Europe and international orders.
EDITOR Cara Mott DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin PROOFREADER Chris Horne CONTACT US Phone Office – 020 7367 4910 Territorial Headquarters Switchboard – 0845 634 0101 Email kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Post 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ FOUNDERS Catherine and William Booth INTERNATIONAL LEADERS General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Julian Watchorn Published weekly by The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory.
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. ISSN 1363-5662.
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Th
g that n ddin oo e w ne e
will e
BBC pictures
care c r S ’ e o s w h W T edding ver forget!
A
re you ready for a wedding? It’s the best wedding ever, the best wedding yet, the wedding that no one will ever forget! Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay are planning a wedding to remember and we’re all invited! For Betty and Harry’s wedding they’ll need lots of things – a dress of white feathers, a necklace of shells, lots of pink flowers, two rings and some bells. So the pair make a list and set off to search the farm for all of their wedding essentials. When Harry leaves the farm in search of one last thing for their big day, the farmer creates a new scarecrow to take his place – smooth-talking Reginald Rake! Reginald has his eyes on Betty and plans of his own, which soon causes trouble. When Reginald is showing off to Betty, he tries to toast marshmallows for her but loses control of his matches and sets fire to the hay! Betty’s in danger! Can Harry O’Hay get back in time to save the day? Join Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay for their wonderful wedding at 3.10pm on BBC One on Christmas Day! If you miss the big day, don’t worry – ‘The Scarecrows’ Wedding’ will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
I’ve had a sneak peek of The Scarecrows’ Wedding and it’s lovely! The story of Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay is so cute. Watching them prepare for their big day reminds me of what we’re all doing right now – preparing for Christmas. As Betty and Harry are getting ready for their wedding, they soon discover that the most important thing isn’t the dress, the flowers, the rings or anything else like that. The most important thing is just them being together and celebrating their love. That’s how I hope you feel about Christmas too. Of course you’ll love opening your presents on Christmas morning – who doesn’t?! But the most important thing about Christmas is being with people you love and celebrating the love that God sent to Earth – Jesus! All the Kids Alive! team hope that you have a love-filled Christmas and we can’t wait to share more with you in 2026!
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Read the comment below about how important you are to God
Jesus Loves Everyone
C
an you remember a time when you got told iamazing news before everyone else? Do you remember how special it made you feel? Did you feel like you were receiving a very special message that only you and that person knew? For me, I remember when I found out that I was going to Belgium. My sibling and cousins had no clue, and it made me feel really special and important. It felt extra special because I have a big family, so it was nice to know that out of a lot of people my parents told me that we were going away. I imagine that’s what the shepherds felt when the angel told them the good news – amazement and joy. At that time, many people thought that shepherds weren’t important – at that time, many
people looked down on shepherds. This shows us how much God cares about us. If he decided to share the good news with some of the most unimportant people in society, then he’s also willing to share it with us too. Everyone - including the shepherds – must be important in God’s eyes. My mum and dad told me that we were going to Belgium because they love and care for me – like God told the shepherds because he loves and cares for anyone and everyone. He gives us all a chance and opportunity to be with him through his love. Everyone should celebrate the good news, because Jesus wants every one of us and loves us all the same.
by Nyasha, aged 11
Nativity Wordsearch Find the Nativity-related words listed below in the grid
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GOOD NEWS ANGEL SHINING SINGING AMAZEMENT VOICE SHEPHERDS MANGER T ANNOUNCEMEN JESUS
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A x S W E G N I N I H S N M s i L g i M g S V I G l A h w d x a c r h N E w t Z s r m N f z t G L u b j E o i G q d i I e a t l d M r E g f a n l S H E P H E R D S E G i x i b i e f N l n C h J E S U s t u v T q I c mw g n S W E N D O O G x y z a b c d e f j V e A N N O U N C E M E N t
12/12/2025 11:02
Love Came Down Love is Powerful
Check out your Bible – Luke 2:8-20
Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Children and Youth’s Explore It! resource – go to salvationist.org.uk/resources/discipleship/explore-it
Bible quote from ‘New International Version’
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Steve English
5
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Joy to the World
re ted about the birth of Jesus – no matter whe Christmas is the perfect opportunity to get exci lots in rent countries celebrate the Christmas story you live. Did you know that people from diffe d! ue Christmas traditions from around the worl of unique ways? Join us as we discover uniq
Ethiopia
wait a If you lived in Ethiopia, then you’d still have to week! this be ldn’t wou it as s, while longer for Christma ary Janu 7 on ed brat cele That’s because Christmas is s– stma Chri d calle not instead of 25 December. It’s also it’s known as Ganna. dy be However, many Christians in Ethiopia will alrea lasts 40 that fast a in preparing for Ganna by taking part l a day. mea one days! This means that they can only eat nds remi it and This is known as the Fast of the Prophets, hets prop the Christians of the hundreds of years in which s to be born. Jesu for le peop ared prep h of Israel and Juda ial church On Christmas Eve, Christians will go to spec and then services. These normally begin in the evening stians finish at 3am on Christmas morning! For Chri of how nder remi a as s stma in Ethiopia, they use Chri . God wing follo to d important it is to be committe
. .. n i Jo
JANUARY
7
KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity club around. As a member you’ll go on amazing adventures through the Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lots of great stuff about being a Christian. You’ll also receive our mini-mag, Chatterbox, which is filled with jokes, games and much more. And to top it off, there are loads of awesome prizes to be won! To join KA! JAM and complete the Bible activity courses online, go to salvationist.org.uk/kajam. Or if you would like to receive the postal version, simply fill in the coupon below.
To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with two first-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Name:
Date of birth:
Address: Postcode: Boy or girl: I, (signature)
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Do you attend a church, and if so, which one? apply for membership of Kids Alive! Jesus And Me. I understand that joining KA! JAM doesn’t mean I have joined The Salvation Army and that it is not a free subscription to Kids Alive!
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS. 12/12/2025 10:53
When I Grow Up be when What do you want to you learn you grow up? To help ight be about a job that you m ked a interested in, we’ve as out ab grown-up to tell us all . what they do for work It’s time to meet …
?
Patch’s ? Problem... ?
? ?
HELLO, READERS, I’VE LOST A VERY IMPORTANT OBJECT SOMEWHERE IN THE ISSUE. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO HELP ME FIND IT? I HAVE A CLUE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE.
?
?
Santa out of the ne! Now I’ve got that yo er ev , as tm ris Ch y Happ u – Santa’s … ho… honest with yo way, I can be ho… ho is Nick. isn’t it? My real name a very strange job title, delivering velling around the world tra I’m en wh r, ve we Ho name that I often use. presents, Santa’s the people different names. Some of s lot by go I y, all tu Well, ac ristmas and a hers call me Father Ch call me Sinterklaas, ot think it’s a little Saint Nick (although I d Ol me ll ca en ev few e old)! bit rude to call someon in the the most amazing job ve ha I e, us I e titl er – Whatev Eve, I get to fly a sleigh as tm ris Ch y er Ev . rse whole unive get to climb und the world. Then I guided by reindeer – aro believe presents! You wouldn’t er liv de to ys ne im ch down kon I’m ing has made me – I rec how fit all of that climb Eve, I get as ller! Then, after Christm healthier than a footba for all my hard -long nap to make up th on -m ree th a ve ha tmas. to ready for the next Chris t ge to rt sta we re fo work, be Santa? you’d like to become if be e vic ad my uld What wo ving to the n. I’d recommend mo That’s a tricky questio marrying the big, bushy beard and a ing ow gr le, Po rth No Since the world – Mrs Claus! in n ma wo ing az am most everyone not try to show love to that’s impossible, why around you instead?
Nick
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TRICKY TREE
He he, he he!
to the letters from each row Starting at the top, use at ive row below. When you arr make a new word in the rd that discover a six-letter wo l u’l yo e, tre the of se the ba al setting of the Nativity. will tell you the tradition
Spot the Difference
a l
Find the five differences between the two pictures
b e t s ker
il Loc
by Ne
‘Why are you so good at being a scarecrow?’ ‘Hay, it’s in my jeans!’
What’s a scarecrow’s favourite fruit? Strawberries!
What’s a scarecrow detective called? Strawlock Holmes!
How do scarecrows drink? With a straw!
Why is it hard to hug a scarecrow? Because you’re clutching at straws!
Why didn’t the scarecrow eat much for dinner? It was already stuffed!
CERD
8
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
He he, he he!
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
mystery item Identify the ifying glass in the magn
ers w s An e 2 ag
on P
across:
1 New Year’s Eve song, ‘Auld _ _ _ _ Syne’. 3 Festive decoration, Christmas _ _ _ _. 7 Move something down. 8 Passenger vehicle. 9 Sense used by ears. 13 Christmas cake, yule _ _ _. 14 ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’ gift, _ _ _ _ _ swans a-swimming. 16 Mammal with antlers. 17 Slow-cooked dish of meat and vegetables.
down: 1 White flower. 2 Seasonal wish, Happy _ _ _ Year. 4 Bird often seen on Christmas cards. 5 Direction from which the wise men came. 6 Upper limb support on a chair. 10 Bird of prey. 11 Walk wearily and heavily. 12 Wintry weather. 15 Animal doctor. by Neil Locker
the scarecrows’ wedding WORDSEARCH qr we ke ds dg i n g q m v b Find the ‘Scarecrows’ Wedding’-related words in the grid
BETTY O’BARLEY HARRY O’HAY WEDDING PINK FLOWERS BEE SHELL NECKLACE TWO RINGS WHITE FEATHERS BELLS COWS REGINALD RAKE CROWS MICE GEESE SPIDER CRAB TOAD
c w h i t e f b z g p y o v c r t s e h e b i c w e l t g g a a d e d n s i y o e n t r p s e g a o f a e i h r i h r n b l h d s r e y n e s a m k d j e o r o k l r n s w o r c w s h f l o w e r s p a t q a e n e c k l a c e k r y b e l l s t b a r c e
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Games Bundle Competition
I
f you’re looking for the perfect game to play with your family this Christmas, then this is the competition for you! In fact, with this competition, you have the opportunity to win more than just one brilliant game – there are four games up for grabs! In Fuzzballs: Pizza Thief, you’ll play against your family to put on the best pizza party. You’ll also be trying to ruin everyone else’s party. The next game in this week’s bundle, Monkey Mayhem!, will have you racing against your family to get the lowest hand of cards – until someone grabs a banana to end the game! The third game in our bundle is Hoddog. In this game, you’ll use special cards to try to build the longest hot dog. The final game up for grabs is Sosig – that’s right, it’s another game about sausages! You’ll create ‘sosigs’ of different shapes and sizes, while using ‘mystery meat’ cards to sabotage other players. For the opportunity to win your own games bundle, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Games Bundle Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 16 January when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Games Bundle Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN!
Available from Amazon.co.uk
How many games are included in this week’s competition? Two
Three
Four
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
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Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 12/12/2025 11:09
LOVE CAME DOWN COLOURING It’s almost Christmas, which means that by the time you read the next issue of Kids Alive!, you’ll have opened presents, munched through lots of turkey and sung far too many carols! However, let’s take some time before Christmas to remember what it’s all about. Christmas is about how God showed us that he loved us by being born as a baby called Jesus. If you think that’s worth celebrating (spoiler alert – it is!), then add a splash of colour to the design below. If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colouring to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Love Came Down Colouring’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively, you can post your colouring to: Your Space, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to fill in the details below so we know who you are. We send a gift to everyone whose colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!
v
Name:
Age:
Address: Postcode: Go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page KA - p11 - 20 December.indd 1
11 12/12/2025 11:41
lifestyle, and caring ve ti ac d an y th al he a Living tual well-being iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph
A History of Christmas How old are you? You might be 7, 9, 12 or 43 years old! Well, you’re probably not 43 – but the truth is that every older person was a kid once, and plenty of them celebrated Christmas when they were your age! In fact, people have been celebrating Christmas in the United Kingdom for almost 1,500 years.
So we have a fun adventure planned for you! We want you to pretend that you’re a time traveller (a bit like Doctor Who, if he read Kids Alive! and wasn’t an alien). Together, we’re going to travel back in time to Christmases of old and imagine what they might have been like. It’s time to learn about the history of Christmas in the UK! Are you ready? Let’s go!
Christmas Day, 597 Welcome to the distant past! You’re in the village of Canterbury in Kent – and you’re absolutely freezing. That’s because you’ve been for a swim, along with 10,000 people, and now you’re soaking wet. These people have all been baptised (which means they’ve been dunked in some water) by a man called Saint Augustine. This is part of the very first celebration of the birth of Jesus in the UK. We’ve just travelled back to the first ever UK Christmas party! Hurray!
Christmas Day, 1066 Are you still chilly from your swim? Quickly throw a warm jumper on, because it’s time for another party. We’re at Westminster Abbey, and a man called William the Conqueror has become the king today!
In the years since the first UK Christmas, Christmas Day has become a proper event. In fact, people spend around 12 days celebrating it – and during that time, they’re not supposed to do any work. However, people have only just given Christmas a name that’s anything like the one we use today. It’s called Crīstesmæsse.
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Christmas Day, 1171 OK, you’ve probably had enough of partying already – but King Henry II is throwing a huge Christmas party in Dublin! By now, people have started to give each other presents to celebrate Christmas. A new tradition has also been introduced for the day after Christmas, which is called Boxing Day. Churches will be opening up boxes full of money to give to people who are in need!
Christmas Day, 1570 Just a short trip this time – but we wanted you to know that by now, people have started eating turkey on Christmas Day! That’s thanks to a sailor called William Stickland, who brought the first turkey to the UK in 1526.
Christmas Day, 1660 It’s time for another party (this is getting ridiculous)! Believe it or not, since 1645, people haven’t been allowed to celebrate Christmas in most of the UK – it’s been banned by the government. However, a new king called Charles II has brought Christmas back, so people are allowed to get excited about the birth of Jesus again!
Christmas Day, 1850 We’re nearly finished with our journey through time, but let’s visit a Christmas during the Victorian era (that’s when Victoria was Queen). By now, people are celebrating Christmas in a way that’s very similar to you and me! Many homes now have their own Christmas tree (which became popular in 1848), lots of people enjoy carol singing and kids have started to learn about a mysterious man who gives them presents to open on Christmas Day – Father Christmas!
Christmas Today Welcome back to 2025! We’ve finished our trip back in time, and we’ve learnt a lot about how people in the past have celebrated Christmas. Christmas has been celebrated in so many different ways, but one thing has always remained the same – people have always remembered that it’s about the birth of Jesus!
We hope you have a happy Christmas! See you next year! 13 KA - p12-13 - 20 December.indd 2
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Cool Colourings Elizabeth, aged
ed 8
g Yandile, a
13
Ru, aged 9 What fantastic colour ings, everyone! So much co lour and creativity – well done , all of you! I can’t wait to see lots more cool colourings from our readers in 2026!
Autumn and Ju niper, aged 10 and 7
Margaret’s Major Project! This is Margaret and she’s done something amazing! She was asked at school to do a project on inspirational black women as part of their Black History Month celebrations. Margaret chose Major Catherine Pacquette – a Salvation Army officer. Major Catherine was awarded the Order of the Founder (this is a very special award from The Salvation Army to celebrate people who have given amazing service). Margaret wanted to choose someone from The Salvation Army so that she could talk to her class about her church and Jesus – and they loved it! Margaret has also received an email from The Salvation Army’s Caribbean Territory thanking her for choosing Major Catherine and sharing the importance of helping others. Great work, Margaret!
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New Junior Soldiers
KE K O J O BO
A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army
Jess, Poppy, York.
Je r in a Age? 6.
d8
age than,
E
Favourite colour? Pink, purple, yellow and green. Favourite sport? Egg and spoon race. Favourite bit of Kids Alive! ? Patch’s Pals.
G et I n To u c h !
Favourite Bible story and why? Easter, because I like chocolate eggs. Favourite TV programme? Rainbow High . What do you want to be when you’re older? Teacher.
The Kids Alive! team loves to hear from its readers. And guess what – other readers love reading your news! So why not get in touch? You can email or post your own colourings, drawings and letters. Or you could ask your Sunday school, church or corps leaders to email us or write to us with any news about the fun stuff you’ve been doing at your church or corps. Email: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Post: Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ
Pets? Kitten. Hobbies? Dancing. Tell us a joke. Why did the orange stop rolling around the street? It ran out of juice! What special skill or talent do you have? Telling jokes. Tell us something interesting about yourself. I love my mum and dad.
KE K O J O BO KA - p14-15 - 20 December.indd 2
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I have a big sister named Jiniya and her age is nine.
15 12/12/2025 11:36
JO B
not long till christmas now, patch.
just need to pop in here to get a present for my mum.
later… why are you getTING your mum a present from the toy shop?
SHE SAID THAT SHE WANTED A SURPRISE THIS YEAR…
...A JACK-INTHE-BOX WILL DEFINITELY SURPRISE HER! ! LE K UC CH
Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2025. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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AARGH!
GROAN!
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Please Recycle Me! 12/12/2025 11:39