Approximately on June 21st (Summer Solstice), the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky marking the longest day of the year as day and night are exactly 12 hours in length. From this day on, the Sun rises one degree less and less every day. This brings longer nights, colder weather, end of the crop season, death of nature, and so on. Many ancient people were well aware of this fact and worked this astronomical phenomenon into their mythology as the metaphor “darkness overcoming the Sun” (most people regarded the Sun as their god). On December 22nd (Winter Solstice), the Sun makes it to its lowest point in the sky and stays there for three days. On December 25th the Sun reverses its trajectory, rising one degree each day, "overcoming the darkness", and beginning its journey up the sky.
The ancients, thousands of years ago, would celebrate this day as it meant the rebirth of the Sun, longer and warmer days, the return of crops and nature and so on. Thus, December 25th has always been a celebration of the Sun’s position in the sky, and its relationship with life on Earth. So how did December 25th become known as Christ’s birthday? Both religious and secular scholars agree that no one knows Jesus’ actual date of birth, assuming he existed. Theologians around 300 AD estimated that it occurred sometime around mid-late December, estimates which secular scholars regard as arbitrary. Regardless, the Church christened December 25th as Christ’s birthday which happened to correspond with winter solstice festivities.
Most mythologies surrounding the winter solstice had some concept of a “gift-bringer”. This idea evolved over the centuries into a concept of a Father Christmas, with varieties depending on the culture. However, this idea took a new form in the mid 19th century. Thomas Nast, a famous caricaturist and editorial cartoonist who worked for a political magazine called “Harper’s Weekly” would draw a new image of Santa Claus annually beginning in 1863. Nast standardized the image of Santa as a fat and jolly old man. Advertisers capitalized on this image and began to use it to sell their products. White Rock Beverages used this image to sell mineral water in 1915 and ginger ale in 1923. This was followed by a massive advertising campaign launched by Coca-Cola. This campaign solidified the image of Santa Claus that we now recognize today. Below is Nast's first official Santa Claus image:
This brings me to the second thing I hate about Christmas: it promotes consumerism. The Christmas holiday is the biggest economic stimulus for many corporations and countries. People have been socialized by the media and our consumerist culture to buy things they do not need and buy gifts for people who do not deserve them. In 2006, Americans spent $450 billion dollars during the Christmas holiday. Furthermore, the massive consumerism of Christmas has an environmental toll: increases in used resources, increases in energy, increases in CO2 emissions from producers and consumers, increases in waste, and so on.
People look at me like I'm diseased when I tell them I am not willing to participate in Christmas festivities. The minute I mention to anyone that I hate Christmas they are shocked, like I’ve just used the c-word and Jesus in the same sentence. My position is not complex - I simply do not like the “religious” and consumerist aspects of Christmas. Since Christmas cannot be avoided, I encourage you as least enjoy your time off work. Eat your face off and try to get along with your family members. If the dreaded family reunions make you want to slit your wrists, worry not because I'm positive that plently of alcohol is available! Try not to trample any old ladies during the boxing week sale and make sure to shower your kids with presents, turning them into ungrateful spoiled brats.
Oh, and have yourself a wonderful and very Merry Christmas.
1 comment:
For your information, Christmas is the date your savior, who died for you to say "Christmas isn't about Jesus's birth", was born. He was born by the Virgin Mary, and he lived to be thirty-two years old and he was crucified on a cross to wash away your sins. I hope you never discredit Christ's birthday again... hence Christmas (Christ). God bless you, and you sir, have a Merry Christmas.
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