Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

The tree is lit up and decorated, the star is on top, gifts are stacked underneath, the stockings are hung by the fire place with care…it’s that time of year, Christmas time that is! Eighty-seven percent of Americans refer to themselves as religious people. Therefore, it should be no surprise that a majority of American holidays are based on Christian beliefs, specifically Christmas. According to Dictionary.com the definition of Christmas is “the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and an occasion for exchanging gifts.” Most popular American Christmas customs are based on Christian beliefs.
During the Christmas season, over 36 million Christmas trees are bought and placed in the homes of American families (Pope Explains…). The Christmas tree is viewed as the most popular symbol of the holiday season. The Evergreen can survive through extreme cold winters, symbolizing human’s ability to undergo the harsh reality of life (How Christmas Trees Work). The Pope claims that the Evergreen represents the tree of life and God’s ultimate gift to his followers. Each family has their own traditions of cutting and decorating the tree, such as purchasing the tree the day after Thanksgiving and stringing lights on it that night. Many Christians don’t believe in removing the tree from the home until January 6th. This is 12 days after the birth of Christ when the three wise men arrived following
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the star of Bethlehem.
Many non-Christian Americans participate in the holiday season by exchanging gifts. The Three Wise Men, also known as the Three Kings or the Magi, went to visit baby Jesus in his manger. The Three Wise Men took gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This created the tradition of exchanging gifts as part of holiday season. Referring back to the definition of Christmas, it is an “occasion for exchanging gifts.” Some may believe that for this reason, Christmas has become a commercial holiday, and it has lost it’s true meaning and a price tag is being put on a religious holiday. The typical American consumer spends on average $681 on gifts during the Christmas season. This includes non-believers. Non-Christians participate in gift giving because it has become an American tradition that is not only targeted towards Christians.
Children are told Christmas stories about Santa Claus and they even take pictures with them in the mall, little do they know that the jolly fellow in the red suite is a symbol of a saint. St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop that was well known for giving money to the poor, one night he dropped a bag of gold down the chimney of a needy man and it landed in his socks that were being hung to dry. That is where the tradition of hanging stockings came from. St. Nicholas’ feast day is celebrated on December 6th. St. Nick has been Americanized and become Santa Claus, giving gifts to children around the world on Christmas eve.
As you drive down the streets of the suburbs or pretty much any American house you will see Christmas lights strung outside as well as inside on the tree that can be seen through the window. Did you ever wonder why we did this? Christians do this to represent the Christmas star that announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the field and the Wise Men in the east (Christmas Symbols). When it’s all lit up it is suppose to be a little reminder of the miracle of life of God’s only son.
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A star is also placed on the top of the tree when the decorating is complete. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (Mathew 2:10)
The American culture is primarily Christian, and the holiday season reflects that for believers and non-believers alike. Even if it isn’t thought of, each of these things are Christian symbols, that have stories behind them. The tree, gift giving, Santa Claus, stockings, and stars, along with numerous other symbols are traced back to Christianity. The Christmas holiday is just one example of how religion has it’s round about way of effecting culture in our society. So next time you go pick out a Christmas tree with your family and you are making another trip to the mall for more holiday shopping, think about the real meaning behind the things that you do!













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Work Cited

Christmas Symbols. 24 October 2007. http://athomeschool.com/unitstudy/christmas_symbols_06.htm.

“How Christmas Trees Work.” How Stuff Works. 24 October 2007. http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/christmas-tree1.htm.

“Pope explains symbolism of Christmas Trees.” Catholic World News. December 20, 2004.
24 October 2007. http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=34135.

Matthew (2:10). The New American Bible. Saint Jerome Press, Wichita 1987.