The Commercialization Of Christmas In The 19th Century

& nbsp ; Dickens' A Christmas Carol and the Industrial Revolution         Besides being the secular story of Christmas time in an urban setting, A Christmas Carol, tells the sacred story of Christmas as well. With A Christmas Carol, Dickens initiated an ongoing creative process in the Anglo-American imagination. As a result of the Industrial Revolution and the growth and development of cities people's lives changed drastically as they moved from the life and traditions of the country into those of the city.

Nearly everyone enjoys Christmas, especially the little children of the world. Many cultures celebrate Christmas for different reasons. While the majority celebrates Christmas on the 25th of December, some celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanza. The history of Christmas is extremely detailed and can be found in the chapters of Matthew and Luke in the Bible. This holiday has many reasons for being celebrated with joy and happiness.

the poor in England. A Christmas Carol was also written to teach people about how they can help the

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.

There is no doubt that Christmas is a religious event but nowadays Christmas becomes more commercialized, as it has been defined as a high consumption season because the gifts giving culture becomes the most important part of Christmas and the consumers want to please their children

That said, Christmas also moved around the globe between 900 - 1000 Common Era (C.E.) and was adapted to match their winter celebrations there as well. Christmas evolved slowly and gradually, with no firm mention of it until the mid 11th century, where we actually find the first reference to it. It evolved and changed and

Christmas, the most joyous season of the year for many Christians. Yet, in the early Victorian era many industry and business leaders started to emerge as people who lacked the spirit of giving of kindness, particularly around Christmas. Charles Dickens, in eighteen forty-three penned a novel that to this day is one of the most beloved books of the Christmas season. Many view the book only as a seasonal novel to read as a young child or even an adult. However, the words of Dickens can be understood at any point during the year. Throughout A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens carefully establishes a critique of the newly developed English capitalist society through the visitation of three

As A Christmas Story appears to be set in the mid to late 1940's, during what I must presume is post World War Two due to the lack

The Christmas season was full of general joy and greatness, seeing that it consisted of festivals which contained overall buoyancy. Starting Christmas Eve and ending on Epiphany, this season consisted of celebrations, feasts, music, morris dancing, plays and general merriment. Christmas used to commonly be celebrated with religious connotation, but the Reformation introduced the secular way of celebrating Christmas, which most families adapted into their personal celebrations. Overall, this season was a practical way for families to spend time with each

Christmas As times changed in the 1800s’ of England, Christmas provided as an anchor to bring familiarity and joy into the lives of people. Christmas had become a festival based off of family and friendship, with charity towards others. Though deceiving, religion was not actually the strongest element of the holiday. Christmas began to develope this way, because of the Victorians stage, and the Medieval periods.

During the Elizabethan era, holidays and festivals were a big part of Elizabethan lives. Usually, festivities were held at the same time every year. However, because of their restricted free time, people looked forward to each holiday as their limited leisure. Before England accepted Christianity, people were still in custom of Celtic pagan traditions; some practices include sending Valentine’s Day cards and placing plants in home during Christmas. Even so, the British slowly assimilated Christian traditions over the years; thus, pagan and Christian customs blended together in daily lives and has a strong influence in Elizabethan culture. In addition, observances were done according to the church calendar. As mentioned previously, festivals

Most Catholics have grown up associating the nativity scene with Christmas, so it is hard to imagine that the first nativity scene only appeared about 800 years and more than 1200 years after the birth of Christ. According to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, “the story of the first nativity scene is actually an important remainder that we are called to be good stewards”

Holidays have always been known to affect our consumer culture for many years, but how it all began eludes many people and very few studies have been completed on it. Even though some say that the subject is too broad to precisely identify how holidays, especially Christmas, directly affect our market, I have found that people’s values, expectations and rituals related to holidays can cause an excessive amount of spending among our society. Most people are unaware that over the centuries holidays have become such a profitable time of year for industries that they now starting to promote gift ideas on an average of a month and a half ahead of actual holiday dates to meet consumer demands.

Looking at today’s society, we are very uneducated, especially when it comes to celebrating Christmas. The former Home Secretary claimed, “But since it was written, it saddens me that Christmas has become so commercialized and over-hyped that its true meaning has become lost beneath the welter of fairy lights, tinsel and extravagant presents” (THE DAILY MAIL). The same routine happens every single year of children writing a list to Santa, wanting toys, electronics, and clothes. Then, comes the hassle of shopping for gifts. Next, is putting up decorations on the house and tree. It is now Christmas eve, and the kids left out cookies and milk for Santa Claus to eat and head to bed early. It’s Christmas! Adults, teens, and children surround the tree passing out and opening gifts followed by a family feast. And at the end of the day individuals still don’t know or have forgotten the true, religious meaning of Christmas.

Christmas lights, inflatable snowmen, reindeer with red noses, fake snowflakes, and decorated coffee cups, it must be the winter holidays and the new year! But wait, Halloween was just days ago. How have haunted houses turned to gingerbread so fast, and what happened to Thanksgiving? Holiday decorations, especially those pertaining to Christmas go up so fast in stores and in neighborhoods sometimes as soon as a couple days after Halloween. This eye-opening phenomenon shows just how much holidays in the United States are being used as times of the year to make profits for businesses. Decorations for end of the year holidays can be seen in some stores as early as September, starting with Halloween and gradually transitioning to Thanksgiving, and then finally Christmas. The problem is that American businesses exploit holidays for profit at the cost and expense of the individual and the individual’s family. Fake and consumer centred holidays have increased in present times leading to a rise in materialism. While this may be good for businesses and shareholders it is extremely detrimental to society and the planet. If holidays are to be sustainable and joyful in the future then people need to move away from consumerism holidays and move towards celebrating these important dates with the important people in their lives. Overall business, profit, consumerism, and materialism have adversely affected