St Marys Primary School and Nursery Unit, Portaferry

P7’s Christmas Mystery

5th Dec 2025

Our class novel for this term is ‘The Christmas Mystery’ by Jostein Gaarder. It tells the story of a boy called Joachim who discovers a magical Advent calendar that seems almost alive.

Each day reveals another fragment of the strange tale of Elisabet, a girl who disappears after chasing a living toy lamb and is swept back through time, travelling with angels, shepherds and wise men toward Bethlehem.

 

As Joachim uncovers the mystery, the P7 children created dioramas for each chapter, capturing Elisabet’s journey through different moments in history and the unfolding of the Christmas story.

From ancient marketplaces and snowy European landscapes to the star-lit road leading to the Nativity.

 

With every door opened and every diorama made, the boundary between the magical story and real life grows thinner, until Christmas Eve brings the final, shimmering revelation.