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.
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.
During Christmas people can still buy gifts for others in order to show appreci...
... middle of paper ...
...w American, 2008: 21-23.
Kavanaugh, John F. "Putting Christ Back Into Chri$tmas." America, 2000: 13.
Lehman, James. Empowering Parents. http://www.empoweringparents.com/I-Want-It-Now-How-to-Challenge-a-False-Sense-of-Entitlement-in-Kids.php (accessed 12 7, 2013).
McSpadden, Walker. "The Book of Holidays ." In The Book of Holidays, by Walker McSpadden, 180. Binghamton: Thomas.Crowell Company, 1958.
Palin, Sarah. Good Tidings and Great Joy. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013.
Spero, Rabbi Aryeh. "Anti-Christmas War Wages On." Human Events, 2005: 901.
Spero, Rabbi Aryeh. "The Left Resumes Its War on Christmas." Human Events, 2006: 20.
Wallop, Harry. More People to Shop Online than go to church on Christmas Day. 12 22, 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/8219376/More-people-to-shop-online-than-go-to-church-on-Christmas-Day.html (accessed 12 10, 2013).
Nothaft, C. The Origins of the Christmas Date: Some Recent Trends in Historical Research. Church
First off, he explains that nowadays Christmas is directly associated with commercialism and that people now feel as if they have to buy things for other people. Whether that be something they will use every day, something that they will throw in the back of their closet and forget about or something that they will just throw away. Not only do they buy the gifts, they buy wrapping paper, bows, cards, bags, tissue paper and many other unneeded things. Which is true, but there are many ways to get around the typical holiday gifts. Some families make things for their direct family members and some families just have a dinner and go their separate ways.
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 image enforces the meaning of Christmas being lost, and that the people need to be aware of this now sacrilegious, laic time. The source displays the change from sacred Australia, which was a time of religion, to a more secular period. The source presents the contemporary cultural values of Australians today, often disassociating themselves from holy, divine objects, places or people. Losing their sacred connectedness to God or their purpose with religion. Taking Christ out of the equation presents how Jesus has been neglected by those supposed Christians of the modern day, who have forgotten the sole meaning of Christmas and their religion. This image imposes a reinforced message through an image presenting secularism of contemporary Australian Christmas with the words “missing”, and “what Jesus has become”. The view of Source 3 displays that anything of great importance in the religious sense, including Jesus, in temporal culture which exists in Australia is lost.
Christmas is almost here again, but have you ever thought how odd some of the holiday traditions are and how they became so popular? Buying a pine tree, setting it up in your house and then decorating it with festive lights and ornaments; hanging up stockings filled with candy over the fireplace; or how an old guy in a red-suit comes to your house the night before Christmas and leaves presents. This, too many Americans is normal, but why? Learning about these holiday traditions will get you into the Christmas spirit and show you what Christmas is truly about.
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.
Christmastime is a time of joy, peace and love. It is also a time where people put aside their differences, accept one another for who they are and practice unconditional love. Right? Well, apparently not if you happen to lean towards the left politically. After all, there is nothing that liberals won't attack these days.
This time of year, we are supposed to be fueled by the spirit of Christmas. We are supposed to say, “Merry Christmas”, or “Happy Holidays” to everyone we meet. Truth be told, and we all know if for a fact, very rarely do we run into someone who really has the Spirit of Christmas.
Ah Christmas, it is said to be the most wonderful time of the year. In the United States Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, spending time with your family, and in most Christian families, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is hands-down the most highly commercialized holiday celebrated by Americans. In fact, according to CBS news, the average American will spend $700 on gifts this holiday season, totaling for a whopping $465 billion spent nation-wide. From mall Santas as far as the eye can see, to hearing Christmas music in every retail store you enter. Christmas is a time of high spirits and high spending in the U.S.
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.
Religions influences on consumer’s behavioral spending habits have drastically changed throughout the past centuries. Christian’s rituals of holidays such as Christmas were once only demonstrated by worshipping God and attending Church Masses and services in early years. Their behavioral habits can be understood by their spiritual philosophy of the spirit, God. Hegal, a philosopher, argued that “spirit” represented the essence of freedom, distinguishable from the individual “self.” (Lindridge 2005). This belief prompted people to focus more intently on their religion then on the actual idea of buying gifts for the holidays. Christianity worship particularly was a time that was meant to set a time away from the markets or business’ and a time for one’s soul to repent. Often time services would be held for worship, not only Sundays and holidays, but as well two to three other days during the working week. This custom lasted for many years among the religious groups while the markets struggled to stay productive.
Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).
All the children put their First Christmas ornament on the tree, that I brought, as a gift.I am not usually a shopper, but during the Christmas season, I actually enjoy shopping. I rarely go into department stores, but during the Christmas season, I love to shop. The stores are so beautifully decorated and very festive. I can easily get carried away, with spending so much money. I must admit the thought of spending too much money hardly comes to mind.
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