Winter Holidays

Christmas is on the 25th of December, a day when presents are exchanged and when families get together. But in reality there are three different kinds of Christmases. There is the corporate culture Christmas, family Christmas and then there is the religious Christmas. The two most popular are corporate and family Christmas. Though if you were to put on the radio during December you would most definitely hear a combination of corporate and religious Christmas music. This is where the two come together though I doubt many people notice. They are to busy getting in the spirit of Christmas. The spirit of Christmas is when people listen to Christmas music and start buying gifts, which I guess is influenced with corporate culture.
The corporate culture version of Christmas has drilled into people’s heads that buying gifts and spending money is what Christmas is all about. It has created an image of Santa Claus who goes around and gives presents to kids who are nice. Kids beg parents to buy toys while the stores have holiday sales that invite people to come and spend their money. Everyone is consumed with spending. Even if you’re not Christian you still celebrate this version of Christmas. It’s about buying loved ones gifts and buying trees. These trees are put up and are decorated with all sorts of ornaments. On Christmas Eve the presents are placed under the tree while the kids are sleeping and then early in the morning the kids wake the parents up and they all gather underneath the tree to open and exchange presents.
Then there is family Christmas. When families get together to spend Christmas with each other. It’s a day of hanging out and getting back into the flow of every body’s lives. Christmas is another chance to see everyone again. Most families only get together when there are holidays and celebrations to be held. That’s like my family, who only really get together during the holidays. We are all to busy to visit any other time. Christmas is also about forgetting about the bad things and focusing on all the good things in your life. In my opinion corporate culture and family culture are the most connected. Everyone has adopted both versions cause they are easy to follow and it has become its own culture. Christmas brings people together. A day where there should be peace and positive energy. Though people seem to think this day has an invisible rule of no negative energy and they all work to prevent it. Is it wrong to believe in something that doesn’t exist if it brings everyone together, even if it is only a day?
Religious Christmas I am sorry to say I know little about. I never grew up religious and was not surrounded by strong religious beliefs. Though from what I heard Christmas was forced upon people who were not Christian. These people used to gather around a tree and celebrate life. During winter most of the plants died except of certain trees like the “Christmas tree”. Then Christians banned their belief and started cutting down the trees that they had celebrated (not sure worship is the right word) and put them up in their houses. Christians believe that the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus. Though there are many stories, many different versions of what happened from here. Even the Christian faith cannot hold onto on idea. They change it to fit their purpose. Jesus left the message that on December 25th you were supposed to give away all of your possessions and give them to the poor and yet everyone goes out and buys more things.
Christmas is a time where people choose to believe in something, it is a time for magic and forgiveness. Most of the religious beliefs that had started Christmas have been tuned into something that fits the times. Through out the years Christmas has lost its true value and hardly anyone remembers what it is supposed to represent.