Has Christmas become a materialize holiday?

Question

I fee that we have taken the meaning out of Christmas and made it to be more about materialize things and who will get me a expensive gift. Have we lost the true meaning of Christmas?

Answer 1

Yes. No doubt about it. But then again I'd say it's come full circle back to being materialistic. You'd have to understand the history of the holiday and how it evolved to understand what I mean.

(Oh and it's so funny when people say "the true meaning of Christmas" when they obviously have no idea what the true meaning is or where the holiday started)

Let me school you my friend...

Many people are under the assumption that Christmas has it's origins in Christianity. However, Roman officials decided on December 25th as the date for Christmas because they were trying to convert their heavily Pagan nation to the religion. The Pagan's Mid-Winter festival, Saturnalia, was held at this time of the year. In order to lure them over, many holidays that are now associated with Christianity were decided by the dates of corresponding Pagan holidays and festivals.

Christmas was more like Mardi Gras than the holiday we know today up until as late as the late 19th century. Yes, that's right, Mardi Gras! In England, during the 17th century, Protestants had taken over the country. Being very religiously strict they actually outlawed Christmas for it's vulgarity. Of course the people wanted their celebration so they in turn reinstated the Monarchy.

In the United States, after the Revolutionary War, anything English as shunned. Therefore Christmas was reinvented. It was decided the holiday would be about family and togetherness rather than raucous partying.

The Christmas tree also has it's roots in Pagan culture. Evidence of "Christmas" trees date back as far as Egypt. Santa Claus in his modern form was also only recently invented. In the 1940's he was revamped as the jolly old man we all know. Actually this was done by advertising agencies and stores of the time in order to help sell merchandise. Before that, Santa was more in line with the partying ideology of the Pagan Christmas. In fact, Santa's image evolved from a Pagan gnome like creature. Very much unlike what we know today.

Answer 2

Yes,Christmas is become too materialistic.I do appreciate the holiday and throughout the years I had learned that gifts are not part of Christmas.I grew up in low-income family where money was extremely tight and we didn't get to celebrate much of Christmas as my father was terminally ill and my mother worked every single day to provide us with food,clothing,and shelter.
One thing I was told by a pastor and my mother that Christmas is not about buying or receiving presents but being with family and friends who love you and having faith.
Now,I am older and I have a wonderful family,I tend to give more than receive.
The best things to do is give to charity to help low income families or visit a nursing home where a mother or father who can not see their family on Christmas Day.If anyone could make someone feel better and see them smile,That is well worth it

Answer 3

That depends on if you choose to make it a material holiday. Sure, there's hundreds of businesses out there running Christmas commercials every minute of the day starting October 1st, but you can either buy into it or turn the TV off and make a Christmas that's important to YOU. I often choose the latter.

Answer 4

Christmas is both a mundane and a non secular holiday. that's maximum direct origins are Christian: it celebrates the beginning of Christ. yet a lot of non-Christians also have a good time it as a time to furnish presents, be grateful, and get which includes kin. Christmas stocks a date with a pagan holiday. It extremely insects me at the same time as human beings insist that makes both holidays the same element. there is basically 3 hundred and sixty 5 days interior the three hundred and sixty 5 days. for sure there'll be overlap. If i replaced into born on Dec 25, does that recommend Christmas is extremely the social gathering of MY beginning? for sure not. that's basically 2 celebrations on the same day.

Answer 5

It depends on your life and what you are or aren't blessed with. I do believe that during the holidays all we think about is what we are getting on Christmas. When in actuality we need to be thinking about others who aren't as fortunate as we are. Some children don't have homes let alone a new pink iPod This year me and the kids have decided to be more thank full for what we have and not to worry about what we are getting. So basically it has materialized but only to a certain extent

Answer 6

Materialistic? Oh, my yes. It's taken me 40-odd years to realize that friends and family are really the most important; everything else really is superficial.

Being out of work as I have until recently for 30 days and living on savings really crimped the ability to do things for others with material things. So we told friends & family not to include us, or to spend the $$$ that would be on us toward others in the family.

True meaning of Christmas? Oh, for many it's there...on the bottom of the piles of gift papers and boxes, unfortunately

Answer 7

There are still...those that know the true meaning of Christmas.
There are a lot of people that materialize it. I think the media tries to get people to materialize it because that is their game - retail - money.

Answer 8

Commercialized

..right?

Answer 9

No this year the kids and i decided to skip the gifts and just have dinner and spend time together

Answer 10

yes i think we have. and if you don't have money on christmas, then you're screwed because it's all about gifts. what happened to hanging with family? it sucks.