Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The name signifies “Mass of Christ”. For Christians, it is a liturgical feast central to Christianity. To non-religious people, Christmas is a winter festival, often involving traditions like gifts, decorating a tree, and secular celebration.
Christmas traditions have their roots in pre-Christian, mid-winter festivals. To encourage conversion, the early Christian church chose December 25th as Christmas Day. This was a day celebrated by pagans as the birth of the “unconquered sun” (sol Invictus). Many traditions, such as the Yule Log, were given new Christian meanings, while others were introduced specifically to focus on the story of Christ – like the nativity scene.
Christmas is now an annual festival, a religious and cultural celebration for billions of people around the world. Christmas day is a public holiday in many countries and forms an integral part of the annual holiday season. Christmas preparation begins on the first Sunday of advent and is followed by Christmastide. In the West this lasts twelve days and culminates on twelfth night.
The modern image of Santa Claus was developed largely in the 19th century, with artist Thomas Nast playing a key role in popularizing the image of a plump white bearded man in a red suit.
The humanist approach to Christmas
Humanists can celebrate Christmas by focusing on its secular themes of hope, connection, and community. They can also create traditions based on human values like kindness, compassion, gratitude and the celebration of life. Instead of being a religious observance, Christmas then becomes a blank canvass for personal meaning.
A humanist Christmas may include:
– stepping out of daily routine
-spending time with family and friends
-volunteering for charitable causes
-exchanging thoughtful, and sometimes homemade gifts
-sharing meals and treasured recipes
-singing non-religious carols or enjoying festive music
Some humanists choose to ignore Christmas altogether. Others reject the excessive commercialization surrounding Christmas as being wasteful and focus instead on personal connection rather than material consumption.
So why not make your own Christmas complete with new personal traditions?
By Godfrey Selbar