Why in America and maybe in other countries as well is Christmas/New Year or other holidays in December or Win

Question

ter holidays is more commerical then Eurpean attend to be. Why can't we be like the Eurpeans.

Answer 1

Around the world Christmas is basically a time for business and promoting new products and such, and getting people to max out their credit cards so that businesses can make one more final push before the year ends. Both European and American countries do this, Americans are more commercial simply because of the different culture. Europeans tend to be more "human" when it comes to working whereas Americans basically enslaved themselves to work, its part of the American way. That's why America has the best economy.

Answer 2

I like mia answer. It makes sense.

My rationale, without research, would tell me we have these big, commercialized holidays in the winter because we are bored. Back in the day, many early american settlers were farmers, raising what they needed to survive. Spring was spent planting, summer was tending to the fields, and early fall brought the harvest for the year. I imagine, if a family had a good year, they would try to share that with each other with better Christmas gifts. It'd be unlikely for families in the northern parts to take family trips or anything like that in winter since blizzards and the cold could be killers.

Another thing is that, when many people first came to the United States, they were very poor and had to struggle to make ends meet. When they finally did have some success, they wanted to show it. They'd buy the things they always wanted, or buy gifts that their relatives always wanted so they wouldn't ever have to know what it was like to have to go without.

Recently, I believe americans give gifts out of guilt. I do it. I feel bad for not spending more time with my parents, so I'll buy them a $800 GPS unit. I'll spend all the money I can at christmas to buy the people I care about nice things. It just doesn't feel right to get a $20 gift for someone if I can afford to spend $75. I feel as if I'm being stingy. Is it right? Who knows, but it's who I am.

Answer 3

There was some dispute about the proper date of the birth of Christ and not everyone agrees even to this day. It was not until A.D. 350, that December 25 was declared the official date for celebrating Christmas by Pope Julius I. When the fathers of the church decided to settle upon a date to celebrate the event, they wisely chose the day of the winter solstice, since it coincided with some rival religions' celebrations and the rebirth of the sun (see Year of the Sun Calendar), symbolized by bon-fires and yule logs. December 25 was a festival long before the conversion of the Germanic peoples to Christianity, it seemed fitting that the time of their winter festival would also be the time to celebrate the birth of Christ. The darkness that had frightened and threatened to defeat the ancient pagans, was forever defeated by the coming of Christ.

Because of changes in man-made calendars, the time of the solstice and the date of Christmas vary by a few days. As Christianity spread among the peoples of pagan lands, many of the practices of the winter solstice were blended with those of Christianity. In the dead of winter a celebration of rebirth of life was symbolized in the birth of Christ. The time of the winter solstice, when days grew longer again--the return of the light--became the hope of the world in the birth of Christ, "the light of the world."

Answer 4

Its not all Americans, its the business's in America that like the money. So they make Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas, valentines day, Easter and other holidays so big. They bring out a lot of stuff for people to buy. The sad thing is, They bring out Halloween stuff in August and as of October 1st Christmas stuff is out on shelves. They bring stuff out early so people will buy more and get them thinking about the holiday and buy buy buy. Its not Americans, its cooperation's. Why do Americans have to be like Eurpoeans?? Why can't we just be us?

Answer 5

Unfortunately here in America we commercialize things. Europeans look at Christmas as a religious Holiday. Here it's an excuse to stimulate the economy.

Answer 6

Americans like to capitalize on everything and anything. They take what should be nice family holidays and turn them around and try to make money out of them. X-mas should be a time where you get together with your family and spend time with one another, but American society likes to materialze it a lot. In the end it's to make the rich richer.

Answer 7

Because Europeans follow rules for verbal communication unlike Americans who believe pretending to be ignorant of sentence structure and punctuation is one of their freedoms. No one ever graduates from any European school without understanding how to communicate unlike in the United States where, "No child is left behind."

Wake up. We are being cheated of our education by a school system that teaches conformity to broadest and lowest common base currently in vogue. If you think you are ignorant, wait until your children graduate high school. Will they even be able to dress themselves?

Answer 8

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is much more important to americans than anything else. :) Happy Holidays. they are coming around the corner.

Answer 9

Because unlike Europe, America's morality is decaying and our greed and love of money is our top priority and corrupts our family traditions and values. Europe doesn't have these problems........
(cough, cough....)

Answer 10

MONEY MONEY MONEY If there is someone out there to buy it, they're will always be someone ready to make money on it!