The Christmas holiday has a huge cultural footprint, for Christians and non-Christians alike. How does it impact you?
For Christians, the Christmas holiday holds special significance as the birth of Jesus Christ. But for people who practice a different religion, or even no religion at all, December 25th is still a significant day.
Many of the trappings of Christmas, as it is celebrated today, have little to do with Christianity. For example, Santa Claus is mentioned nowhere in the Bible. In fact, many of the ways of celebrating the holiday are borrowed from other cultures. This includes the decorated tree, the giving of gifts to family members, Santa Claus, and other parts of today’s holiday.
Regardless of the origins, however, Christmas decorations start to appear in stores months in advance. Many towns decorate outdoor trees and shrubs with lights, usually starting in early December. Some may also have a town Christmas Tree with an official lighting ceremony.
Christmas music can be heard in some places as early as October. It is almost inescapable for the week or two prior to the 25th. Carolers may even go from door to door singing holiday songs.
On the commercial side, retailers try to entice buyers with sales. Of course, the discounts are available to anyone, Christian or not.
On Christmas Day itself, most businesses are closed, so most everyone gets a day off, regardless of religious affiliation. In Jewish communities, for instance, it is common to have “December 25th concerts” (for obvious reasons, they are not called “Christmas concerts”).
What are some ways the season impacts you? How do you suppose it is different for people with different religious beliefs? Different economic backgrounds?
Related questions: What does the holiday mean to you? Does your holiday fill you with wonder? What makes a tradition?
As an atheist, I try to insulate myself from many of the Christmas trappings. That being said, I do, without fail, experience some of the joy, sadness, introspection, and weight gain brought about by the Christmas season:
—Family gatherings are usually fun events, and it’s always a treasure to discover how relatives have changed and grown over the past year.
—While I don’t yet experience the sadness of Christmas too much, I know that this will happen more as I age and people close to me die. That said, there is one person’s passing — my former colleague and friend, Richard Sondah — who I wish were still here. He loved Christmas music. And I loved seeing the joy he felt during the season. I also remember his deep appreciation when I made him a mix CD of some of my holiday favorites.
—I am, by nature, an introspective person. Around Thanksgiving, I begin conducting an assessment of my previous year. What did I accomplish? Where do I need to grow? Are there former life goals I need to strive for more vigorously, and are there ones I need to let go of? While this assessment lasts from turkey-day until the end of the year, it’s fun to see the completion of the process between Christmas and the New Year.
—It’s hard for me to turn away from all the food shared during the Christmas season, and I hate seeing food go to waste. Family Christmas gatherings, workplace parties, and friends and family finding reasons to practically throw food at you: the holidays are dangerous for my waistline.
The following is my belief and I have no objection to the choices others make how they celebrate, or don’t celebrate, Christmas.
As a Christian (Jehovah’s Witness), I don’t observe Christmas due to it’s origins in paganism and it’s unscriptual traditions.
My family and friends get together to enjoy meals and association throughout the year and we often exchange heartfelt gifts without the obligation of it being “Christmas”.
This article is helpful in explaining why I don’t celebrate Christmas. There are other articles below it that offer more information on the origins of some Christmas traditions.
https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/bible-about-christmas/
Thanks for including the link, which informs why you don’t celebrate Christmas. I was wondering.
I enjoy all the pagan origins of xmas: near the solstice, trees and lights to brighten the night, an excuse to cook special things. But the best part is that my kids come home because it’s traditional to get more time off the week of xmas.