Madison Beaver
Research Paper
College Prep 7
Table 3
Mrs. Wiersma
The Christmas season is regarded as a time to walk in a winter wonderland. It is a festive time that is celebrated religiously and recreationally. Families use Christmas as a time to gather and enjoy fellowship with each other. Traditions for families vary from giving presents to celebrating the birth of Jesus. Today, Christmas has many traditions that are regarded as agnostic but have religious roots. The Christmas celebration evolved greatly throughout the ages with each century adding a component to the progressing holiday.
Before Christmas was considered a holiday that celebrated the birth of Christ, there was a celebration called Saturnalia. Saturnalia, a Roman holiday, was a weeklong celebration involving lawlessness. The community would select a “Lord of Misrule.” According to Smith “These individuals [Lord of Misrule] were forced to indulge in gluttony and more perverse physical
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The tree has two believed origins. The first origin is Saint Boniface saving a child from a sacrifice by cutting down the base of a tree. According the article “What Is the Origin of the Christmas Tree," “He then told everyone that this lovely evergreen, with its branches pointing to heaven, was a holy tree - the tree of the Christ child, and a symbol of His promise of eternal life.” Another accepted perception is that in the Middle Ages Germans and Scandinavians would place evergreens inside their homes to show their hope that spring would come soon. Eventually in the 1840s and 1850s Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularized the Christmas tree in England. They placed a decorated tree in their palace, and the English copied because of their adoration for the Queen (“What Is the Origin of the Christmas Tree"). Now, it is tradition for families to cut down an evergreen tree and place it in their house to place presents
The Christmas tree is an important symbol because it represents Nora’s life. The beginning of Act 2 states that the tree was tattered and stripped of ornaments, just like Nora’s life was falling apart.
The Christmas tree can truly be called a Victorian innovation. The custom of a lighted tree began in Germany then made its way to America. “It wasn't until Prince Albert, of German descent, brought the Christmas tree to England in 1840 that it gained popularity there. By 1847, the trees at Windsor Castle were laden with presents as well as wax candles.” Michelle J. Hoppe. The tradition spread as English citizens followed the Royal example. The trees and other decorations were removed on Twelfth Night (January 6).
Few people can confidently say why the United States celebrates Christmas on December 25. And I imagine even fewer people know why we give gifts, or why we pucker up when we find ourselves under some mistletoe. The answers to these questions are under a thick layer of rich human and mythological history. For me, the majority of these discoveries were absolutely shocking—Christ was never in Christmas.
Ah Christmas, it is said to be the most wonderful time of the year. In the United States Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, spending time with your family, and in most Christian families, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is hands-down the most highly commercialized holiday celebrated by Americans. In fact, according to CBS news, the average American will spend $700 on gifts this holiday season, totaling for a whopping $465 billion spent nation-wide. From mall Santas as far as the eye can see, to hearing Christmas music in every retail store you enter. Christmas is a time of high spirits and high spending in the U.S.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
Nothaft, C. The Origins of the Christmas Date: Some Recent Trends in Historical Research. Church
The Bible provides no guidelines that explain how Christmas should be observed, nor does it even suggest that it should be considered a religious holiday. Because of the lack of biblical instructions, Christmas rituals have been shaped by the religious and popular traditions of each culture that celebrates the holiday.
The well known holiday of Christmas today is far from what it was in it’s former being. Many aspects led to the change in Christmas, however Charles Dickens, a Victorian era author was arguably the most influential in the change. There was a time when christmas was not much more important than your average holiday. Without the work of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Regency Christmas would not have changed to be the way it is today. As we examine the Regency Christmas, the Christmas events in A Christmas Carol, new Christmas ideas, and today’s new christmas we will form the true Christmas.
According to William Muir Auld’s book Christmas Traditions, the Christmas tree found its way into the hearts and homes of Christian people with their thoughts and sentiment. Auld writes, “On the night in which Christ was born, all the trees in the forest, despite snow and ice, bloomed and bore fruit” (Auld 138). This story was first told by a geographer of the tenth century named Georg Jacob. This story was as highly believed as the birth of Christ. Christmas trees can be dated back through writing, specifically songs and are associated with the Church, specifically to post-Reformation times. The trees, which decorate homes worldwide, are linked to a spiritual tradition practiced by a variety of religious groups. (The Fir Tree, page 241 in
Christmas is almost here again, but have you ever thought how odd some of the holiday traditions are and how they became so popular? Buying a pine tree, setting it up in your house and then decorating it with festive lights and ornaments; hanging up stockings filled with candy over the fireplace; or how an old guy in a red-suit comes to your house the night before Christmas and leaves presents. This, too many Americans is normal, but why? Learning about these holiday traditions will get you into the Christmas spirit and show you what Christmas is truly about.
Today it seems as though Christmas has fallen victim to materialism and commercialization. Rather than it being a time of loving and giving, it has become a stressful season of greed. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, it is important for us to recognize the true reason of the season, and celebrate in a fashion that exemplifies that reason.
Every year at the end of November everyone can start to see the emergence of Christmas decorations. The Christmas decorations signal to the public that Christmas is near. And during this time there tends to be many discounts and promotions but out of all the sales hat are offering, there is one major purchase that everyone must face each year, and that is the Christmas tree. But purchasing a Christmas tree can harm the environment, can be high maintenance, and become a fire hazard, an artificial tree is a much better alternative.
A Christmas tree itself is a symbol of joy, so that is why it is used. Through all times and even in the Bible trees and flowers have been a subject of wonderment; a symbol of life, that is why Ibsen uses this as a symbol of Nora’s feelings. The play, “A Doll’s House” has a very symbolic title.... ... middle of paper ... ...
The holiday season is officially here… Yes, it’s a time of celebration and to decorate for Christmas! Christmas time is the ideal occasion to adorn one’s home with glitter decorations that brighten up your lovely home and make magic created. Every family has a dream to go after each Christmas especially when December comes. How to set up this Year for Christmas and which theme are you going to plan and go through...A question that starts after the big gathering Thanksgiving Day?
Christmas to me is a celebration, which includes spending time with my family, decorating the entire house, inside and out, and shopping, for the people I love. Doing this with the people I love is what means the most to me. Spending Christmas with my family is very important to me. We usually gather and celebrate at my parent’s house, in East Tennessee. My husband, our three children, and myself travel from California. My two sisters, their husbands, and children come from a nearby town, for our celebration.