If Christmas spirit was measured right now, would it make Santa’s sleigh fly? Or would bells ring a sad, sad tune? Christmas is certainly not an unpopular holiday, but a certain lack of holiday spirit has been noted in recent years, leaving people wondering what its cause could be.
Christmas was originally a celebration of Jesus Christ’s birthday. Years and years ago, it was a strictly religious day, with any decorations and festivities being devoted to Christ. However, some modern historians argue that Jesus wasn’t even born in December. In fact, certain scripture points to his true date of birth being in spring, far from Dec. 25. So, given this, why do certain individuals claim that the loss of Christmas spirit is caused by straying from religion?
Considering the fact that people all over the world have noticed a drop in the holiday spirit, lukewarm Christianity cannot be the blanket explanation for it. After all, it is pretty extreme to say that the concept of Santa Claus, something that brings joy to millions of children, is the culprit of Christmas’ decline simply because of his lack of Christian origins.
Could it be the extreme commercialization of the holiday season? For any adult, especially parents, the weeks leading up to Christmas can be the most stressful time of the year. Any kid’s Christmas list can easily burn a hole in a pocket and empty a wallet, especially with the inflated prices of many goods right now. If the focus is all on deals, sales and monetary value of gifts, it becomes tough to focus on the true giving spirit of Christmas, and all the time that can be spent with family and friends.
Large corporations like Amazon and Target push gifts at “lowered prices” during the holiday season, trying to get consumers to buy more of their products. This monetary focus is in conflict with the essential elements of holiday spirit: generosity, giving, and togetherness. When parents are concerned about what to buy their kids, it becomes a stressful situation that any child can pick up on, making it so that Christmas is more about the gifts than the motivation behind them.
While the commercialization of Christmas is undoubtedly real, the likely culprit of the “drop” in Christmas spirit is simply change. As kids grow out of the magical childhood ages in which they ran downstairs at three in the morning to catch Santa eating cookies and move into their teenage years, the holiday can lose a bit of its charm. The older someone grows, the more there is to worry about. High school and college classes, college and job applications, bills to pay, sports to play, these things all take away from the whimsy of circling gifts from a catalog or curating a Christmastime letter for the folks at the North Pole.
Change is never an easy pill to swallow, and aging is a process that can’t be stopped. With such uncertainty, it’s important to focus on the things that can be controlled, for example, one’s own measure of happiness. Just because life is busy and stressful doesn’t mean that holidays can’t serve as a reprieve. Being able to manage an abundance of activities and see them as a blessing instead of a curse is a skill that many adults fail to master, leading them to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life instead of slowing down and appreciating the positives.
Even when it’s tough to find the motivation to be lifted out of a mindset of business and monotony, Christmas and the holidays are a prime example of a reprieve. Any loss of Christmas spirit can be attributed to perspective, and holiday spirit should be treasured as a reminder of the blessings in life. Family and friends, life and love, these are what should be focused on, even when times get rough.
