Now, after the long talk about the stupid claims by the pagans that today isn't our dear lord, saviour of the world, son of God, Jesus Christ's day of birth (How dare they!), which leads
to implications that the many elements of the Christian religion are actually
made up and many of the previous leaders of the Catholic Church used the religion as a political tool (We all know how untrue this is! Well except for the Protestants, that is.), I am now going to talk about the non-religious side of Christmas.
The most concept of Christmas, I dare say, is actually not that of the birth of Jesus Christ. Rather, the most mainstream and popular concept of Christmas, is the version romanticised by literature genius Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens, through his acclaimed classic novel, A Christmas Carol, conveyed that the Spirit of Christmas is generosity and charity.
During that time the Protestants were in power in England, and they being Pope hating (but still very nice) people denounced Christmas, leading Christmas into decline. But Charles Dickens literature was so powerful and touching, it rekindled the Christmas spark.
So for atheists, protestants, non-Christians, and so on and so forth out there, please don't forsake Christmas celebrations just because it might be a made up celebration by the Catholic church. I know it might sound cliche: The true meaning behind Christmas is spending time with your loved ones and spread generosity, and show love.
I myself don't really celebrate Christmas(no tree, no presents, food yes but not the traditional feast), since my family is not particularly westernised, but I would love to celebrate it.
But touching on generosity, which leads one to think of the gifts Christmas herald, I would have to do an extension and touch on commercialism as well. It seems that, people are crazy over gifts and commercialism is strong. It's good for the economy really, and people enjoy it. I don't see the point in whining over it, if it doesn't get in the way of the Christmas spirit. Getting together with family and friends, having a feast, and watch as kids unwrap their presents with expressions of absolute delight, and listen to their elated shrieks or look at their wide but restraint grins when they see presents they love. That's part of the joy of Christmas, is it not?
The Pope though, seems to mind it a lot: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/24/world/europe/vatican-pope-christmas/
Superficial glitter? Yes, Christmas is heavily commercialised and is a mainstream pop-culture festival. So? Just because people don't commemorate the birth of our dear savior - who might be born sometime earlier than Winter - doesn't mean you can't appreciate it. Are Christians goddamn hipsters or something now?
The modern Christmas, unlike its previous incarnations, are accessible to everyone from all the different religions and culture, its like a amalgamation of all the Winter Solstice celebrations into one Super Festival, Christmas does not belong to Christians, not anymore.
The true meaning behind Christmas is simple: Generosity and charity, and enjoying yourself with your family. People tend to ignore such stuff throughout the year, so why not just relax and enjoy this day?
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