Christmas, few people stop to think how it originated. Started as a pagan holiday during the time of Romans, it developed in to a Christian celebration dedicated for Christ. People in different age groups, both kids and adults, enjoy the season of Christmas. Christmas has been very big and an inspiring holiday for many families around the world for many centuries. Packed with busy shoppers, jingle bells, colorful lights and Santa Claus, Christmas is thought by many people to be “the most wonderful time of the year”. Winter, snow, Christmas tree, decorations and Santa Claus are very important things which makes us think that it is the most beautiful day of all the year. Everybody waits for Christmas, because that day has varies meaning for different people. But for kids, rather than shoppers, colorful lights, Santa Claus is their main reason why they count the days till Christmas eve. Even though one might say that Santa is just a big lie, Santa Claus brings a whole new meaning to the season of Christmas. Although almost everyone has already figured out that Santa Claus is a big myth, kids, who are younger than 12 or 13 years, should have the right to be fascinated, to speculated, and to use Santa Claus as a possible role model.
Unlike adults most of the kids wait for this season of the year hoping that they might able to get a glance at Santa Claus and his best friends, reindeers. Santa Claus is one of the most important imaginary figures on this earth, who has touched the hearts and souls of many children, is Saint Nicholas. It is said that he placed gold coins in the socks of three poor sisters so that they would have a dowry and not be sold into prostitution. St. Nick, better known as Santa Claus, is notorious for bringing gifts to children that are in need. Known for having a huge belly and a gigantic heart, Santa Claus brings hope to kids who are hopeless and smiles to those who have lost theirs. While snuggled in their bed, desperately trying to catch a wink of sleep, children around the world await the arrival of Santa Claus. Dressed in red and with a jolly old smile, he manages to fulfill the dreams of kids throughout millions of miles.
Even though one might say that, from the
Evidently, myths have become the culprit of traditions. That being said, the contemporary and ancient myths of Santa Claus and Krampus can only be understood by determining the elements that devise their entireties. Both narratives involve elements of opposition, trickery, mythemes, repetition, symbols, and ritualistic processes all of which support the structure of each holiday myth and tradition. Overall, the individual elements facilitate a valid, detailed compare and contrast analysis when examining the myths of Santa Claus and Krampus in a North American culture.
Is Santa truly a secular figure or is he a religious one? This has been a long-standing argument. However, instead of viewing Saint Nick as either secular or religious, it would be more beneficial to examine him as a figure consisting of both religious and secular elements. It is true that the contemporary Santa Claus may be more associated with secular concepts, such as consumerism, but it is also crucial to emphasize the origins of the jolly old man. He is the product of Western Christianization. It is thought that he was created from a combination of the historical figure of Saint Nicholas, a Christian saint, who was known for giving gifts, and the fictional character of Father Christmas from British folklore (CITE). Santa Claus can be viewed
The time arrives but once a year -- Chirstmas-time holiday with varying cheer. But buying and selling and buming and parking Spur movie mischievers in need of a larking. There's snowflakes fallen and gently sprinkled, With all the little Whosters' smiles frozen wrinkled.
Most people know the story of Santa. While there are many different versions, the gist of it is the night before Christmas, while children are sleeping, a fat man slips down the chimney to distribute gifts to boys and girls that have been good all year. The story was meant to bring hope and joy to children. It was a tale of giving and of love. However, as time goes on characters change, sometimes for better, and sometimes they take a turn for the worst.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
...ch out only for themselves, we lose sight of what Christmas is truly about. Forgetting the being of Santa Claus only makes us slight the kindness on which this holiday is based. Not believe in Santa! You may as well not believe in the very gifts laid under the tree on Christmas morn. Without your faith, Santa Claus would be nonexistent. There would be no yearning in your soul to give of yourself to others, no example to follow. Thank God, Santa Claus exists and exists forever, lightening the heavy heart as the sight of the snow blankets the soul and defines the heart of childhood.
The argument presented by the two authors is fundamentally undermined because neither has children. Therefore, neither can provide a realistic parental perspective on the “magic” of Christmas from a child’s point of view. Believing in Santa is a harmless white lie which has been perpetuated
When I was a kid, Christmastime was always very special too me and it still is today, I had to discern whether or not to open the presents when everyone else was still sleeping or to be patient
Christmas is a special time of year that deserves to be remembered for its true meaning. Every year, Christmas becomes more and more commercialized and society forgets the origin of Christmas. It was not started with cookies, toys, and a fat man that delivers them, but instead it started with a humble inn where our Savior was born. The definition of Christmas is “a holiday on December 25 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.” Nowhere in that definition does it say anything about the outrageous pressure society has set on consumers to buy, buy, buy during the Christmas season. Christmas is about presence not presents.
Christmastime was always a magical time of year for me. The beautifully decorated shopping malls, with toys everywhere you looked, always fascinated me. And the houses, with the way their lights would glow upon the glistening snow at night, always seemed to calm me. But decorating the Christmas tree and falling asleep underneath the warm glow of the lights, in awe that Santa Claus would soon be there, was the best part of it all. As a child, these things enchanted me. Sure, the presents were great, but the excitement and mystery of Christmas; I loved most of all. Believing…that’s what it was all about. Believing there really was a Santa and waking up Christmas morning, realizing he’d come, as my sleepy eyes focused on all the fancily wrapped presents before me.
What about other countries though? Is the Christmas season all about giving and receiving gifts? Are children in Spain rewarded by Santa with gifts and toys on Christmas Eve? In this essay we will look at what Christmas season means in Spain, and what traditions are prevalent in their culture. We will also look at the Christmas related traditions of Americans, and how those compare and contrast to those in Spain.
One might ask, where did the tradition Santa Claus come from? The answer to this question unfortunately is not quite as straight forward. Somehow this tradition wove itself into the holiday season during the 4th century from Turkey, where a wealthy bishop, by the name of Nicholas habitually gave gifts to children. Following the death of Nicholas, he was honored as a saint, Sinter Nikolass, and a holiday was established in honor of him on December 6th. Dutch people in the Netherlands later shortened the saint's name to Sinter Klaas, which eventually evolved into Santa Claus in the US following Dutch i...
Belief in Santa Claus is good for developing children’s creativity. According to Mertens, the author says that “As children’s brains develop, so do their reasoning skills and imaginations.”(Mertens 1) Children
Carols, snow, mistletoe, cookies and milk. These are all synonymous with the Christmas season. However, for many, the true staple of Christmas is Santa Claus. Every child has felt the joy of Christmas Eve, spending time with family, leaving treats out for Santa, tossing and turning in their beds in anticipation for old St. Nick’s arrival. Although what Santa does is well known, his origins are slightly less familiar to most. The man we identify with Christmas has developed over a long time and has encountered many changes. “The original St. Nicholas is for the most part a shadowy figure, lost in historical mists and religious myths. (Myers 318).
At the end of the night before we all go to bed, we make sure to set out some milk and cookies for Santa to be sure he has something to hold him over before he gets back home to the North Pole. Even though I personally do not believe in Santa anymore, it is still a tradition we hold for my younger cousins, nephews, and niece who may be at the house on Christmas Eve and still believe in Santa. Traditionally, Santa is known to most children as the man who makes the trip all around the world to leave presents for each boy and girl making sure the only discrimination and bias is based off whether or not the child was good. On Christmas Eve, Santa slides down the chimney so he can leave the children their toys rewarding their good behavior.