Christmas Research Paper Example

Christmas, a day celebrated with friends and family, highlighted by children opening gifts and leaving cookies out for Santa is how it is interpreted today; however, Christmas initially began as a way to spread Christianity across Europe and compete with the Romans by placing Christmas amid all three Roman winter celebrations. Of all five lenses, the background of Christmas presents the historical lens aspect. In theory, “Christmas is like a snowball”, one that rolls, for a multitude of reasons, a couple being the fast spread of Christianity around Europe which attracted followers, and the intertwining of different region’s ideas and beliefs around the world. Although Christmas is historically symbolized as the birth of Jesus, and the spread of Christianity throughout Europe, the immense number of people who celebrate Christmas, some of who may not even be Christian, has turned it into a more industrial-focused holiday that is, unfortunately, beginning to lose much of its religious background. 

Is Christmas a religious holiday? History tells us, yes, but modern-day society begs us to differ. The New York Times conducted two studies on this topic and this is what they found. First of all, in 2013 “59 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday” but just four years later they found that “In 2017, 55 percent of Americans said they celebrated Christmas as a religious holiday” (New York Times). Over just four years, the percentage of people who saw Christmas as a religious holiday dropped by four percent. Not only did researchers catch this stat, but so did the people themselves as “Fifty-six percent of Americans believe that the religious elements of Christmas are emphasized less now than they were in the past” (New York Times). Additionally, in the “Christmas is like a Snowball” story, they add on to talk about how Christmas has gained more cultural values, rather than religious values by saying, “it should become oblivious that the religious celebration of Christmas has been profoundly shaped by cultural influences from many directions” (Forbes 127). In other words, many people believe it is obvious that Christmas’ modern foundation is cultural, not religious. Lastly, the three-layer cake method, introduced by Forbes in his Christmas is like a snowball writing, exceptionally exemplifies the change Christmas has seen over the past. The three-layer cake analogy divides holidays and their meanings into three different parts, including modern popular culture, religious or national overlay, and seasonal celebration. When this view is applied to Christmas the first thing that comes to mind is winter. Christmas highlights winter, as of right when Winter begins, so do the decorations, family gatherings, and Christmas music being played all over the radio. It is reasonable to question where the birth of Jesus Christ was implemented into these activities. Yes, they all are celebrated at the same time he was said to be born, but nothing that happens throughout winter seems to be acknowledging that. As the writing refers to it, “it is a way for people to cope with the difficulties of winter” Forbes (130). Secondly, when we think of holidays as three-layer cakes and view the religious overlay of Christmas, everyone immediately thinks of the birth of Jesus Christ, but that thought is only implemented when asked the question in a religious context. While many Christians make their ideas known that they want to “Keep Christ in Christmas” (Forbes 133), other Christians would rather it be celebrated as the lively holiday it is already celebrated as today. The problem with this is that Christmas evolved from previous Christian traditions. It was not just the birth of Jesus, but also other themes that made Christmas the annual celebration that falls right in the middle of winter. It would be a shame to discount the significant religious background this holiday holds, and simply turn it into a yearly time of festivities. 

Lastly, a perfect way to analyze the change in Christmas’ nature is to utilize Peter Elbows concept of the “believing game”. First of all, the “believing game”, is a strategy that accepts all points of view towards a belief. This allows people to better understand outside ideas, by thinking of all beliefs as true and trying to analyze them, rather than shutting them down. This strategy proves valuable as it causes people to think critically, enough for priorly doubtful ideas to be proven correct. As we apply this game to the “Christmas is like a snowball” reading, the first thing that comes to mind is applying this method to the question, is Christmas better off as a spiritual holiday, or is it important to keep the religious background as an important piece of it? After reading this story, people must get a better understanding of where Christmas sprouted from, rather than just celebrating it with no educational background. Educating yourself on this topic can be difficult, especially for people who celebrate this holiday who aren’t even Christian, but something as simple as the internet can be a solid learning foundation for a topic as popular as Christmas. It is understandable, that is where people are coming from when they say they’d rather Christmas be celebrated as the festive, spiritual holiday because that is the more fun, simple way to celebrate, but the point of Christmas even being celebrated is that of prior Christian accomplishments that also took place around December 25th. All in all, people don’t need to deeply understand the background of Christmas, but if one is going to celebrate this holiday as passionately as most people do, it is crucial to get a solid background on it.