Over the centuries, the appearance of Christmas has changed. The way it is celebrated and not celebrated. The reason for the season has changed also. Many simply celebrate Christmas because it is a tradition rather than any religious belief.
Sometime in the 17th century, Puritans banned Christmas for they objected to the way it was celebrated, mainly it encouraged drunkenness, gambling, and all forms of merriment. Plus they saw no relevant Scripture for the celebration of Christ’s birth, add to the fact they believed it was based on a pagan celebration. Puritans thought that Christ was dishonored more on Christmas than on any other day.
Today, the celebration around Christmas is more diverse and I only use the term Christmas to denote the time of the year, not the holiday. And you can’t mention the holiday season without the commercialization of it all. And in today’s world, the mere mention of Christmas will offend someone.
Merry Christmas is being replaced with Happy Holidays. Interesting that the root of the word ‘merry’ originally meant pleasant and agreeable. Charles Dickens helped popularize “Merry Christmas” in his book A Christmas Carol. Merry eventually became to mean jolly and cheerful. For a lot of people, Christmas is neither agreeable nor jolly for reasons of their own.
But Christmas has great meaning still. And for me, it is agreeable, jolly, and should be celebrated with merriment either for religious thought or not, because the good in the season is still a positive trait.
Christmas is about the gift to loved ones, the wide eyes from a child discovering toys under the tree, or the awe of Christmas lights adorn on houses. It’s about music and carols like Joy to the World or Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. It’s about Hallmark Christmas movies that are so sappy I can’t turn them off. It’s about family, sending greetings and I love you. It’s also about giving to the poor and feeding the hungry. All this good would honor Christ if you see it that way.
So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and I hope it is agreeable and cheerful.
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