What is Christmas?
"9 out of 10 Americans celebrate Christmas, but only half of those view it as a religious holiday."
Hey Wildcats! It’s almost time for Christmas! Christmas is a special time of the year that brings family and friends together. Tis’ the season of giving. While almost everyone knows of Christmas...many do not know the origin of the holiday.
Christmas is an annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25. But what is the true meaning of Christmas? John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." The true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love. Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life.
According to the latest Pew Research Center survey, nine out of every ten Americans celebrate Christmas, but only half of those view it as a religious holiday. Today, Christmas is not the most important Christian holiday—in fact, it ranks fourth after Easter, Pentecost and Epiphany. Yet since the 19th century, when Americans began to celebrate Christmas in the way we think of today—including traditions such as decorating trees, sending holiday cards and giving gifts—it has grown into the biggest commercial holiday of the year and is now celebrated by most Americans, Christian or not.
In total, 51 percent of Americans who celebrate Christmas see the holiday as religious, while one-third view it as more of a cultural holiday. Whether you view Christmas as more of a religious-holiday than cultural or vice versa, Christmas is a time that is celebrated & favored worldwide every year.
