Have We Lost the True Meaning of Christmas?

This banner appears to show the Grinch pressurising children into buying presents.

We all know that Christmas has been commercialised, sucking the spirit out of it. Companies use Christmas as an excuse to commence huge advertising campaigns, starting before Halloween is even over, coercing the public into splashing out on many gifts. Retailers such as Sainsbury's, Boots, and John Lewis post their seasonal advertisements at the start of November, perhaps too early. This has led to Christmas being seen as more as a time for the buying and receiving of gifts, losing its true purpose for Christians, getting closer with their families and God. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, with its consumerism bringing happiness to children who may not understand the Nativity story, and stimulating the economy.

Maybe Christmas lost its meaning hundreds of years ago? It is not well known that staple Christmas traditions are not even related to Christianity, hailing from pagan customs. Although usually linked to St. Nicholas, Father Christmas shares more with the Norse god Odin. The white-bearded Odin is portrayed as riding an eight-legged horse, called “Sleipnir” through the sky, during the Winter Solstice. It was believed that during the Winter Solstice, also known by the “Yule”, that Odin led the “Wild Hunt”, a hunting party. Children also left their shoes, filled with vegetables for Sleipnir, by their chimneys, in return for gifts. Does this not ring a bell? When you think of Christmas, you are more likely to think of Santa instead of Jesus, exemplifying my point. In fact, it could be said that the whole concept of giving gifts at a winter festival comes from the Roman festival Saturnalia, which also took place in late December. This is made obvious when you learn that the Roman emperor Aurelian decided upon Jesus’s birthdate because the birthdate of the Roman sun god (Sol Invictus) was on the 25th of December, and he hoped to attract more converts to Christianity through this similarity. Could all of this not be proof that Christmas actually lost its true meaning hundreds of years ago?

Even though Christmas practices may have heretic origins, they only obscure its meaning. Behind these traditions, which may actually only be making Christmas, there is still a religious purpose; celebrating the birth of Jesus. Nonetheless, these customs bring joy, so maybe they are not as terrible as they seem.