Do you think a lot of people are forgetting what christmas is all about?

Question

I believe a lot of people don't really care about the true meaning of christmas. And i also think parents aren't doing a good job of teaching it to their kids either.

All anyone cares about now a days are what they want for christmas. And they hope they get this, and they hope they get that....it's kind of disappointing.

the real meaning of christmas is to appreciate what you have and who you have with you on the holidays. And be thankful you have a home to come to on christmas...and to celebrate the birth of christ.

when reading some of theanswers i've recieved to this question, i have something to add to this...

i know parents tell their kids about Santa Clause and reindeer and elfs...and i think this is a good way of getting your kids into the christmas spirit. i mean, it makes the holiday fun. My parents did it for me. But I htink the parents also need to add into that story that Santa is giving gifts to them because it's a time for giving rather than recieving...that would help them understand the true meaning of christmas.

Answer 1

You have a point about the mass commercialization of Christmas, but I would add that the true meaning of Christmas is actually up for debate. Of course, you've probably heard that Christmas was originally based on an ancient pagan holiday called Yule/Saturnia that celebrated the return of the sun to the Earth. Ancient pagans, noting that the sun seemed to move increasingly farther away from the planet (because of the Earth's tilt, about which they didn't know) starting in mid-summer and then started to move closer again beginning on the winter exquinox (December 21-22), began celebrating the "return of the sun" at that time each year. Symbols of eternity such as evergreen trees were associated with the holiday because fir trees reminded people that while the son goes away for a time, it always comes back and is part of an eternal circle of life. Gift giving and burning the Yule log (to send a flame into the air to return warmth to the sun) are also ancient pagan traditions. So in a sense, the "true meaning" of Christmas is the eternal ring of life, as represented by the "coming" and "going" of the sun and the resulting seasons.

Yule was co-opted by earlier Papal councils in the hope of subverting or destroying pagan beliefs and replacing them with Christian ones. The story of Jesus' birth was simply layered on top of the old story of the sun's yearly "birth," and the old pagan traditions simply came with the territory.

However, many Christians now see Christmas as a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ. And for the most austere or traditional of these believers, that means that attending church, reading scripture, and recognizing the glory of God by honoring the birth of his son, Christ. Enjoying one's home and family in and of itself is not part of this more austere version of Christmas. In fact, there was a great debate last year when Christmas fell on a Sunday and mega churches cancelled church services so people could stay home with their family, because some maintained that Christmas should be about Christ and religion, not family and home.

The idea of gathering with family and friends and counting one's blessings is probably a much older tradition that pre-dates Christianity, and it also received a bit of a boost from Epicureans who saw Christmas as a time to celebrate and feast. For the average person who rarely ate well other than on these special occasions, Christmas was a time to slaughter the fatted pig or goose and relish the gift not only of Christ's birth but also of earthly pleasures such as good food, good drink, and loved ones. This is more or less where the "consumption" and gift-giving theory of Christmas had its start. It originally started as a way to share one's blessings with others, but in a consumption-based society in which spending money is seen by the government and by business as an action of a good citizens who wants his nation's economy to keep growing, it was only a matter of time before people ended up spending more time thinking about what kind of gifts to give and receive than about recognizing the birth of Christ. In a less materialistic society, the "share one's blessings" view of Christmas works out very well. In a society whose very success is founded upon consumption and materialism, not so much.

In other words, there are all kinds of meanings for Christmas, depending on when and where you live(d). Moreover, in a society like the U.S. where the majority of the population come from a Christian background but don't necessarily embrace the Christian faith, and where Christmas is completely in your face for at least 5 weeks of the year, it's inevitable that people who want to partake in something that has become an "American holiday" will do so in their own way, and that way may or may not include being thankful for the birth of Christ. If Christians were a little more quiet, a little more private, and a little more protective of their holy traditions and holidays, they would probably have a lot more control over its meaning. But when you open it up to the whole world and get offended if businesses everywhere don't wish you Merry Christmas, suddenly the meaning of Christmas becomes much broader, much more open to interpretation, and much more about consumption and materialism than about the quiet celebration of the birth of Jesus that it may have once been.

Answer 2

Yes I feel the same way. I have always tried to teach my children the real meaning of Christmas and how good it feels to give instead of worrying about what they're going to get. I think they have learned this a bit better than I have. I found myself blessing out my husband last month on my birthday for not getting me as much as I got him, and was worried that the same thing would happen at Christmas. I felt so petty and foolish afterward. I was really being stupid and not even thinking how fortunate I am to have him and that he loves me enough to even get me anything at all. I told him from now on at Christmas I don't even want any presents and we should take the money we would have spent on each other and give it to our favorite charities, in hopes that we can help others have a wonderful Christmas. He agreed whole heartedly. We have decided to celebrate Christmas from now on by thinking of the others and making their Christmas a little warmer and brighter, instead of being so selfish and only worrying about ourselves. I think I have finally learned to practice what I preach to my own kids and I would love to hear that others have joined in and are doing the same thing. That would truly make my Christmas feel extra special!!

Answer 3

What do you mean are forgetting. People forgot a long time ago. In my family my wife and I don't even exchange presents anymore. We buy my son a couple of gifts and usually hand out something we made to the other people that we visit. I always try to do something for a stranger during Christmas. Like last year a young girl and her mother were in front of me in line at a store and didn't have enough to pay for all the items they were buying. So they took out a box of candy that was obviously a gift for someone and paid for the rest of their items. When my turn came I asked the clerk to ring up the candy and put it in a separate bag so I could give it to them and she was blown away. The clerk said that it was the greatest thing she had seen all holiday season and said that she would do something similar herself for someone else. She told me God Bless You and your family and said thank you for making her Christmas so special. My gift was the look on the young girls face when I gave her the box of candy. She said thank you and I told her to just pass a blessing on to someone else. Merry Christmas everyone and May God Bless You and Your Families and Friends each and everyday.

Answer 4

Yeah people are forgetting what Christmas is really about.. All they care about is the presents. But they don't really care about the birth of Christ. and people don't even really spend time with their family that much either.. they just want to open their presents. But I think parents need to start telling their their kids the real meaning of Christmas.. not just the santa Clause stuff.

Answer 5

No I haven't forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. It is a day to celebrate the birth or My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. it is a day to show love and happiness and to show that you are grateful for having another day, seeing another Christmas, and another year all together. Yes as time goes on and things get harder in life, it do put a damper on the holiday spirit and the joy of the holidays, gifts and all, but that doesn't have to stop what you know and believe in your heart. Yes you should celebrate him all year round but Christmas is a special day designated so that every believer can celebrate it together and as one in unity. Don't forget Christmas has the name of the true purpose in it. CHRIST. That's why is it called is called CHRIST-mas, to celebrate the birth of CHRIST. So don't put X-mas, believers, put the meaning back in the holiday CHRIST-mas.!!

Answer 6

I agree! Christmas is a commercial hoilday. I talk to my daughter about what Christmas is really about. The truth is ,is that a lot of people don't belive in Christ and what he represents so why would they celebrate his birth? What about the Jewish religion. You don't see ads on the television about what to get your family for Chanukkah. It's an American holiday that toy stores, electronic store etc. tell us what we need to be like the Jones's. It's really up to you not to fall into their trap!

Answer 7

How right you are, unfortunately. We, as a nation, seem to be forgetting a lot of what's important in life. Which is why we are becoming LESS of a nation. It used to be all about keeping up with the Jones' now it seems to be all about going beyond the jones'. But people like me and you can play our part in bringing back the true meaning by the way we live our lives.

Answer 8

Yes, I think that for centuries the Christians have forgotten that lambs aren't born in the winter, therefore Christ's birthday could not possibly have been December 25th. I think that Christians have forgotten that their early religion, in order to gain favor with more popular pagan beliefs, co-opted the more popular pagan holidays like Saturnalia which was a winter feast.

Answer 9

Yes they are, your right, people want to take Christ out of Christmas so bad its disgusting, but nobody has any problems with setting up a menorah or kwanza celebration, i don't either as long as we still have the nativity scene up as well

Answer 10

yes, it is become a time when money rules the day and also material thing's we should consider living christmas all year round being of good cheer, compassionate,loveing keep the good book's commanments we are so eager at getting, getting ,getting and we leave the most important thing out we do not get it for it is not all about us but all about JESUS