Definition Essay: A History Of Christmas

"Father Christmas goes back in any event to the extent the seventeenth century in Britain, and pictures of him make due from that time, depicting him as an all-around fed whiskery man wearing a long, green, hide lined robe. He embodied the soul of optimism at Christmas" (Wikipedia-Santa). Additionally Christmas is the occasion to unite families for "Christmas traditions include: present giving and fun from Roman Saturnalia; greenery, lights, and philanthropy from the Roman New Year; and Yule logs and different sustenance from Germanic dining experiences." Christmas really is the occasion of giving and family

Americans and Italians provide countless, special holiday games and activities for their children both at home and at school. Santa Claus, who is "Babbo Natale" in Italy, brings children surprises on Christmas Day. Almost every child receives some gifts on Christmas Eve and/or on Christmas Day. Children open up their packages or empty their stockings as family members enjoy watching them be joyful about the surprises. Children's gifts range from candy to stuffed animals to other more sophisticated toys.

Christmas can have many meaning to different people depending on how they interpret it. However, if looking at the Christian aspect of it. The

No matter how old I get, I still can’t sleep on Christmas Eve. As a child, my brother and I would be ushered off to bed early, just to lie there with heavy eyes. We would try so hard to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus. Growing up we are all imprinted with the idea of a portly man in a red suit coming down our chimney to deposit gifts under our tree; that is, if you made the nice list. This ideology is a hundred and fifty year old tradition that encourages a child to believe in a fabricated being in exchange for a reward. As much as our parents try to shelter us from the truth, it is inevitable that we will discover that our beloved Santa is nothing more than a fable. As a child our naivety is attributed to our innocence, but as adults, there is a myriad of information out there for the taking.

We all know what Christmas is. At least I hope so. You may not celebrate it, but you know what it is. Some have Hanukkah and others have Kwanzaa. Hanukkah is for the Jews who celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over the larger Syrian army. While with Kwanzaa, people light a kinara and give gifts to each other. This takes place over seven days. Isn't that nice? Seven days of celebration! Christmas however… Is a single day. With Christmas, the children believe in a big, old, jolly man in a red suit called “Santa Clause”. On Christmas night he comes down your chimney, leaves presents and take the milk and cookies. For one thing, that's breaking and entering and for a second thing, he leaves unknown gifts?! You don't know whats in there! It

Sometimes a non-fiction book can have relative applications and stories in it, but a fiction book can achieve the same purpose with adding some exaggeration to further support the meaning of the story. The Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, is a fiction story, but it contains a lot of meaning to the outlook on life. The battle between the flesh and the soul adds emphasis on the morals of the human being. Developing the story is an important aspect as well, whether the development is in the conflict, within the characters or the resolution. Inside the conflict, the conflict can either be internal or external. External being the fight between two men, and internal being the conflict within yourself. The Conflict in The Christmas Carol

But do we really know where he came from? Santa Claus is traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was born in 280 A.D.in Modern day Turkey. He was most known for his story of saving the 3 poor girls. He was very well known for giving to the sick and poor and having lots of kindness ("Santa Claus".) He moved to Myra and was elected bishop. There he gave anonymously because he didn't want to be praised for his help (Hauck, Allen.) When he died, they began to have a feast for the day of the dead(Dec. 6) it was also a lucky day to be married. He is known as the most popular saint ("Santa Claus".) So at that time people started to put him with the red and white outfit and helpers. He was told to have 8 traditional reindeer. In the spirit of Christmas it go's Jesus then Santa. When people think of Santa they think of generosity and love. Santa is a healthy part of the celebration, but a lot of people forget his origin, which is to help those in need (Hauck, Allen.) So we go from a person that mainly just kids believe in to one that a lot of people put their faith

Christmas is all about giving, friends and family gathering, feasting together, with beautiful music, decorations and singing Christmas carols throughout the neighborhood. It is a time of ornaments, red and green decoration, silver bells, holly, mistletoe and colorful lights. They say that it is the season to be jolly, but how did Christmas become such a jolly and most wonderful holiday? Understanding the religious and cultural aspects of the Medieval Christmas, such as the origin of Christmas and the traditional celebrations of Christmas, can help us to understand and celebrate today’s Christmas more meaningfully.

Everyone knows about Christmas because it is a holiday that has been celebrated for hundreds of years all around the world. Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December and it is a tradition for many people that gifts are given on this day. This holiday is celebrated by different people, religions, and cultures. With the diversity in this world, Christmas has different meanings, but it is styled with the same traditional colors, delicious food, and common flowers and plants.

What if I was to tell you that the jolly, friendly, and innocent wonderworker that is Santa Claus that we all know and love, didn't always make the ‘nice list?’ Siefker bridges the gap between truth and fiction by embedding the notion that Santa Claus has taken on some strange identities over the past hundreds of years- each varying in name, personality, and drapery. In a daunting and unruly thesis, Siefker unfolds the evolution of Santa Claus and exploited his time as Robin Goodfellow; who is sometimes referred to as Puck, the Pagan fairy of mischief (Wright). However irrational this truth may seem, it is noted that Santa Claus is derived from an accumulation of tales, the earliest of which begin in year 260 AD with the birth of Saint Nicholas

“I mean ‘Jingle Bells.’ You know, Santa Claus and ho-ho-ho, and mistletoe and presents to pretty girls.” In A Charlie Brown Christmas, Lucy Van Pelt perfectly outlined the modern American Christmas. But Christmas hasn't always been about reindeer and boughs of holly and Mariah Carey. Before the 16th century, Christmas was not a particularly festive holiday; in fact it more of a holy time to pray. However, when the Tudor Dynasty was established in the late 1400s, the various monarchs over the years created and made popular new Christmas traditions, most of which are still present every December. The Tudor Dynasty truly evolved the path of Christmas by popularizing and developing traditions, specifically Father Christmas and the popular carol “The First Noel”.

Christmas. Its that time of the year where we celebrate the birth of Christ but for some reason, we give each other gifts. Maybe it’s in hopes our good deeds will be a good thing and Jesus is smiling at all of us, pleased at our holiday spirit. So to stay in that spirit without causing struggle for people, there is only one thing that I ask for this year, food.

One thing that makes Christmas such a special holiday is the fact that it combines festivities and religion, two things that have driven humanity for centuries. The fact that Christianity is the most popular religion around the world, drives anticipation for a day tied to the centerpiece of the religion. There is also the historical context of religion and festivals that has stake in many cultures throughout history. These two things make Christmas uniquely positioned to drive anticipation in the lives of people around the world.

What is Christmas to you? We know it as a time to spread joy and cheer. To wake up on christmas morning hoping santa came to bring all your gifts and see if he ate the cookies and drank the milk you left out. A moment to remember with family you might not see a lot. The one cheerful time of year that always comes out a beautiful memory.

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. I love seeing the shinny Christmas lights that decorates my street and the sound of fresh fallen snow on the ground. Christmas reminds me of family, the laughter and loved we shared, and the gifts we gave to each other. My house on Christmas became the center of my joy.