The Definition of Christmas

535 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is Christmas to me

The sole definition of Christmas at one time was, an annual church festival in memory of the birth of Christ. Now when the word Christmas is mentioned people think about lights, trees, presents, food, friends and family, along with the birth of Christ. Some view these added meanings as a good change and some view them as a bad change. In today’s world Christmas is not defined only as celebrating the birth of Christ but also the celebration of giving, and the celebration of family and friends.
From Old English, Cristes maesse “Christ’s mass,'; was the origin of today’s word Christmas. It was the day, December 25, that Christians held mass to celebrate the birth of Christ. This is still true today, almost two thousand years later. However over the course of two thousand years the definition of Christmas has picked up a few new meanings. The celebration of giving, and the celebration of family and friends are not really new but they are new in that today they are viewed as more a part of the definition of Christmas
The wise men gave gifts to Christ on the day of his birth. Today most people exchange gifts on Christmas day. This is not new but is done on a much larger scale than it used to be. People in America alone spend billions of dollars on “Christmas'; gifts. At one time people hoped that they might receive one special gift. But today receiving a gift is expected. During Christmas family and ...

Show More
Related

  • CSI Synthesis Essay

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since its debute, Kimberlianne Podlas discusses how “CSI has been attributed with causing a rash of unjustified acquittals, exerting on trials what is called the CSI Effect.” This refers to how CSI influences or impacts a jury’s interpretation of a case. She goes on to say that, “Even though forensic evidence is prevalent on CSI, it is a factor in only a small portion of real-life cases.” Additionally, “many of the techniques shown on CSI do not exist, and this has led “forensic scientists to complain of the near infallibility of forensic science after watching a few episodes of CSI.” The CSI Effect has caused these viewers of the program, who have gone onto become jurors, to expect the presentation of forensic evidence in order to prove their cases, and without it, they are unlikely to reach a guilty verdict. This has led prosecutors to expect the need to present forensic evidence as a prerequisite to conviction. Even with eyewitnesses and other findings to offset this lack of forensic evidence, many unjustified acquittals have resulted from this mindset as jurors do not believe a case can be proven beyond reasonable

    Read More

  • Forensic Science In The Real CSI

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Crime is a common public issue for people living in the inner city, but is not limited to only urban or highly populated cities as it can undoubtedly happen in small community and rural areas as well. In The Real CSI, the documentary exemplified many way in which experts used forensic science as evidence in trial cases to argue and to prove whether a person is innocent or guilty. In this paper, I explained the difference in fingerprinting technology depicted between television shows and in reality, how DNA technology change the way forensics evidence is used in the court proceedings, and how forensic evidence can be misused in the United States adversarial legal system.

    Read More

  • Scrooge's Transformation in Dickens' A Christmas Carol

    2180 Words  | 5 Pages

    A Christmas Carol is jubilant spiritual hymns to celebrate the birth of Christ which is sang by a group of people friends, family and anybody who wants to.

    Read More

  • The Ghost of Christmas Present

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday.

    Read More

  • Eyewitness Error Essay

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Therefore, the criminal justice system relies on other nonscientific means that are not accepted or clear. Many of forensic methods have implemented in research when looking for evidence, but the methods that are not scientific and have little or anything to do with science. The result of false evidence by other means leads to false testimony by a forensic analyst. Another issue with forensic errors is that it is a challenge to find a defense expert (Giannelli, 2011). Defense experts are required to help the defense attorneys defend and breakdown all of the doubts in the prosecutors scientific findings in criminal cases. Scientific information is integral in a criminal prosecution, and a defense attorney needs to have an expert to assist he/she in discrediting the prosecution (Giannelli,

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Hispanic And American Cultural Holidays

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christmas is a holiday celebrated by most of the world. Christianity is very popular in the US and Hispanic cultures. In the US, Christmas is celebrated with going to Church on Christmas Eve, spending time with their families, and many other things. People also reenact the nativity scene, sing Christmas carols, and do

    Read More

  • Forensic Evidence Essay

    1251 Words  | 3 Pages

    The CSI Effect is the idea that criminal shows and movies give viewers an inaccurate representation of forensic evidence and how it is used. If the CSI Effect is a confounding variable in this study, we can control for it by not letting the participants know the true meaning of the study until debriefing. It has also been found that not every crime drama talks about forensic evidence (Rhineberger-Dunn, Briggs, Rader, 2017). If not every crime drama talks about forensic evidence there is a chance that the drama the participants may watch does not talk about forensic evidence. If the participant watches a crime show that is about the FBI than they are less likely to have seen forensic evidence in that show (Rhineberger-Dunn, Briggs, Rader, 2017). This also helps control this confound. Though the CSI Effect and some of these studies are not directly related to the study being proposed, they do explore the various types of evidence that can be used in criminal cases. They also explore topics related to forensic evidence and their uses in popular social media outlets, because of this they are worth

    Read More

  • Keep Christ in Christmas

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    Few people can confidently say why the United States celebrates Christmas on December 25. And I imagine even fewer people know why we give gifts, or why we pucker up when we find ourselves under some mistletoe. The answers to these questions are under a thick layer of rich human and mythological history. For me, the majority of these discoveries were absolutely shocking—Christ was never in Christmas.

    Read More

  • We Must Keep Christ in Christmas

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Christmas used to be a time when families gathered and love enclosed each member. Meals and stories were shared and times were simpler. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass were special times for families to sit back in a pew and remember the true meaning of Christmas as carols were sung in the high choirs. This serenity and peace seems to be a thing of the past. Now, people are drowning in the pressure that Christmas is all about presents, and that unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning is what this joyous occasion is centered around. Another misconceived thought is that Christmas has to be bought and given away in order to have a good time. In 2010, a stunning “4.8 million people [found] time on Christmas Day to go online and shop.” On the contrary, only “4.5 million people who attend an Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist or Pentecostal church,” was present in church on Christmas Day. The thought that shopping is more important than the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is appalling to Christians throughout the world.

    Read More

  • Essay 2

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    Forensic science plays a vital role in the criminal justice system by aiding an investigator’s case with scientific information based on the analysis of the evidence. Each crime scene is unique in its own way and using the evidence collected, forensic experts try to piece it together. An expert is someone who has had enough education, training, and experience to testify to the matter at hand (Harmon 2010). Unlike other witnesses in a case who testify based on first hand knowledge, the expert witness is not required to have firsthand knowledge of a particular case, and in fact, often does not. Rather, the expert witness testifies to the meaning of the facts (Whitcomb et al. 2005). Each forensic expert typically has a background in another scientific discipline, such as biology, physics, chemistry, etc. An expert with a biology background may work with DNA; chemistry may work in toxicology; and physics in blood spatter trajectories. Working separately on their own respected evidence, an investigator is able to collect all their data and set up a case (National Institute of Justice 2013). Usually, these experts will be hired by either the prosecution or defense in a criminal trial, or by a plaintiff or defendant in a civil litigation. The role of the expert witness exists in variants: between criminal and civil courts as well as the prosecution and defense.

    Read More

  • Materialism and Commercialization of Christmas

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today it seems as though Christmas has fallen victim to materialism and commercialization. Rather than it being a time of loving and giving, it has become a stressful season of greed. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, it is important for us to recognize the true reason of the season, and celebrate in a fashion that exemplifies that reason.

    Read More

  • Descriptive Essay About Christmas

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    Frosty the Snowman waves hello alongside Santa 's reindeer that are ready to take off. Candy canes line the sidewalk and the ginger bread dolls dance in a merry circle. The trees all sparkle with thousands of red, yellow, purple, blue, and orange lights. Out back, Mary and Joseph stand over baby Jesus, Choo-Choo train’s chug in spot, stars twinkle with bright yellow bulbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause wave in the distance. Kerkhoven, MN, the location of the happiest house on the block. Every year my breath is always taken away as my eyes struggle to soak in the utter abundance of Christmas spirit. I 'm smiling and we 're not even inside yet.

    Read More

  • History of christmas

    476 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although it was never celebrated in biblical times, Christmas is celebrated in local churches here in Visalia, California in praise of the fact that God loved us so much; he sent his one and only son to earth. He was wholey god and wholey man. Whereas we have succumbed to the temptations of this earth, Jesus was able to overcome all temptations and live a sinless life. He was then crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. One cannot understand why we celebrate the birth of Christ without seeing the other end of his life. He was crucified for our sins and resurrected.

    Read More

  • What Christmas Means To Me

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christmas to me is a celebration, which includes spending time with my family, decorating the entire house, inside and out, and shopping, for the people I love. Doing this with the people I love is what means the most to me. Spending Christmas with my family is very important to me. We usually gather and celebrate at my parent’s house, in East Tennessee. My husband, our three children, and myself travel from California. My two sisters, their husbands, and children come from a nearby town, for our celebration.

    Read More

  • Christmas: My Favorite Holiday

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. Jesus is the reason we are able to celebrate this holiday. He is the reason we have so many presents at Christmas, but sometimes I think we take it for granted. When Jesus was born, he received three presents which is where we get the giving part of Christmas from. He was thankful for what he got, and there are some children that receive a shoe box, and could not be happier that someone in this world is thinking about them. On the other hand, there are some children that receive everything they ask for and more, and are still not happy because they wanted more. In my eyes, we should all be thankful for what we receive, and we should not want more after someone has went through the trouble of getting us what we got. Jesus does not want this day to be about getting presents, he wants this day to be about remembering him, and being happy that you are on the earth he created for us to live

    Read More

More about The Definition of Christmas

Open Document