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What Christmas really means to me
By April Mae E. Cayubin
Christmas season is one of my most awaited times of the year. This is because every person seems to be happy all the time. People change. People feels hope. People put lights around every houses and streets. The environment during this season is so peaceful. These are some of the reasons why I love Christmas. But where does Christmas really came from and why do people celebrate this season?
According to the Internet's definition, Christmas is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The day is said to be the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasted for 12 days. December 25 is not known to be Jesus' actual date of birth, and the date may have been chosen to correspond with either a Roman festival of the winter solstice.
The activities that are done during this holiday include exchanging of gifts, Church celebrations, school's Christmas parties, and the display of various decorations on houses and on streets – including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, and nativity scenes.
Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but many non-Christians also celebrate it as a secular, cultural festival. Christmas has become a major event for many vendors because gift-giving and several other aspects of the holiday heightens profitable activity among both Christians and non-Christians.
But there is a man who seems to be the most awaited person during Christmas season. He is Santa Clause. Santa Clause which is also referred to as Father Christmas is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing of gifts for children. But there are some philosophers who study the love of people to Santa Clause, particularly the children. According to them, Santa Clause does not represent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is an icon of Satan that is used to deceive and destroy the hearts and minds of our children.
According to John 10:10, Santa has no Biblical basis, neither does his presence produce any Christian fruit. He has got into and dishonored a Christian Celebration which he really has nothing to do with. Satan converted to Santa wants to be the center of attention. He cannot stand the idea of Jesus Christ being glorified and magnified. So, he planned to pretend and steal the show.
Read this! (from the Internet)
"You can see how through the years it has changed now and Santa Claus has replaced the celebration of our Lord's birth. "Old Saint Nicholas" or "Santa Claus" has been interjected into the day to take away from the true meaning of Christmas. Santa Claus is portrayed as a god. He supposedly "knows all" as does God as the song says "He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows when you've been bad or good...” He has supernatural power as he flies through the air making stops throughout the world in one night. He comes down the chimneys that would be impossible to enter and has an unlimited supply of toys in one sleigh. He has elves as assistants. (Elves originated in Scandinavian mythology. There were good and evil elves who could disappear at will.) The belief in Santa Claus is also based on a lie. This lie by parents undermines the trust of their children. Later the children may then doubt the reality of God because parents lied about Santa Clause. The emphasis is on receiving gifts in many homes, instead of exchanging gifts. Gifts for the Lord are forgotten," said Betty Miller in her article entitled "What About Santa Clause?"
Let’s also see the part where Christmas is spelled by many as “X-mas”. Does this mean that we have to cross out Christ on this season?
Today, with knowledge of classical languages being less widespread than formerly, some erroneously believe that the term X-mas is part of an effort to "take Christ out of Christmas" or to literally "cross out Christ"; it is seen as evidence of the secularization of Christmas, as a symptom of the commercialization of the holiday.
But where did “X-mas” really came from?
There were many references that defend the usage of “X-mas”. According to the Internet, the word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern "X-mas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"), and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ.
A part of this season’s celebration is the “exchanging of gifts” during programs. This has actually been done long before. In fact, the practice of exchanging gifts at a winter celebration or during December is also pre-Christian and is from the Roman Saturnalia. They would exchange good-luck gifts called Stenae (lucky fruits). They also would have a big feast just like we do today. There is no negative reason of doing this event unless it is done grudgingly.
Christmas is a season of unity, peace and love. Knowing that this season is celebrated throughout the world, God’s sovereignty and fame still reigns.
May this coming Christmas be a season of change and comfort to you, reminding you that committing your heart to God is still the very best gift you can give to His Son.
Christmas is the time to remind us that God has given us His only Son to the world that whoever believes in Him will never be perished but will have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
