Chritmas
ChritmasThe sole definition of Christmas at one time was, an annual church festival in memory of the birth of Christ. Now when the word Christmas is mentioned people think about lights, trees, presents, food, friends and family, along with the birth of Christ. Some view these added meanings as a good change and some view them as a bad change. In today’s world Christmas is not defined only as celebrating the birth of Christ but also the celebration of giving, and the celebration of family and friends.
From Old English, Cristes maesse “Christ’s mass,” was the origin of today’s word Christmas. It was the day, December 25, that Christians held mass to celebrate the birth of Christ. This is still true today, almost two thousand years later. However over the course of two thousand years the definition of Christmas has picked up a few new meanings. The celebration of giving, and the celebration of family and friends are not really new but they are new in that today they are viewed as more a part of the definition of Christmas
The wise men gave gifts to Christ on the day of his birth. Today most people exchange gifts on Christmas day. This is not new but is done on a much larger scale than it used to be. People in America alone spend billions of dollars on “Christmas” gifts. At one time people hoped that they might receive one special gift. But today receiving a gift is expected. During Christmas family and friends spend time together. This is often when daughters learn their mothers’ secret Christmas recipes, fathers and sons hang up Christmas lights and put up Christmas trees, grandmothers and grandfathers tell stories, and friends unite and catch up on old times. It did not use to be like this. People weren’t able to get on a plane and fly across the country or across the world to visit family or friends. Today people should feel lucky for this commodity but often over look it.
Looking at what Christmas use to be. Christmas Eve a family would go to late mass. The next day they would go to morning mass. In the afternoon the family would celebrate Christmas together and possibly exchange a few gifts. Christmas night the family would have dinner then attend a late mass. Today Christmas is different. Christmas Eve family goes out to a friend’s Christmas party. Christmas morning they gather and open gifts. The family might then go to an afternoon mass. Come Christmas night they will drive over to another family member’s house and exchange gifts and have dinner. The meaning of Christmas has slowly changed in meaning over the years from being about the birth of Christ to being about giving gifts and visiting others.
Giving gifts and visiting with family and friends is not a bad thing at all. But in all the giving and all the visiting, people are slowly forgetting what the major part of the definition of Christmas. Today Christmas is the celebration of Christ, the celebration of giving, and the celebration of family and friends. People really need to remember what the original meaning of Christmas was, celebrating the birth of Christ.