Christmas: the most wonderful time of the year for millions of people around the globe. The holiday started in Christian roots and evolved into a commercialized time of the year, with Christians and non-Christians alike, basking in the holiday cheer. Many believe that the participation of non-Christians is wrong, but is it really? Why should they be excluded from the festivities and fun?
I’ve grown up in a Christian home, where Christmas was filled with nativity scenes and hymn books. However, I had friends growing up who don’t go to church during the holidays and use Santa as the reason for the season instead of Jesus. I never thought anything of it until others began telling them that they should have a religious reason to sing carols and make gingerbread houses.
This new concept confused me and still does to this day. First, while Christmas was started as a Christian holiday, it has adapted to many pagan traditions that are celebrated to the same extent as the birth of Jesus is. The act of giving presents for Christmas is something that didn’t begin to happen until the 1800s. Before then, gifts were given during New Year’s celebrations instead. Also, common things such as Christmas trees, mistletoe, ornaments, and caroling were derived from pagan traditions. This means that most of the iconic traditions that have made Christmas what it is today, and that most Christians participate in, aren’t even rooted in the religion itself.
So, if most of the traditions associated with Christmas aren’t even related to Christianity, why would non-Christians be banned from participating?
Also, at this point, whether you see this as good or bad, Christmas has become a highly commercialized holiday. With holiday sales and decorations in stores, Christmas has become one of the most marketed holidays in the world. If this fact bothers you, buying Christmas presents and decorations only makes it worse. This also means that the holiday is around everyone all the time, especially in the U.S. Being surrounded by joy and cheer kind of makes you want to join in right?
Most scholars also believe that Jesus wasn’t even born in December. No one can actually pinpoint the year let alone the month or day. So, while it’s possible that he could have been born December 25th, it’s highly unlikely and means that Christians basically decided on a date to call Jesus’ birthday. So why can’t non-Christians celebrate a time of year that may not even be the time that Jesus was actually born?
So is Jesus really the reason for the season? Well, for some. But for many others, it’s about having fun and being with those you love. Christmas is what you make of it, and that’s simply okay.
