2008 Woodie Awards
"Merry Christmas!"
Sara Simmons
Issue date: 12/27/05 Section: Opinion
"MERRY CHRISTMAS." "HAPPY HOLIDAYS." These words of seasonal cheer are by now very familiar to those of us who celebrate the Christmas holiday and to many who do not. Christmas celebrations now span the globe. In Japan, Christmas is celebrated with a white cake with white frosting and some quality KFC. In the month of December the words "Merry Christmas" can be seen and heard just about anywhere, from Nordstrom to K-Mart, fitness facilities to Dairy Queen. But in this day and age should we wish each other a Merry Christmas? Has the phrase "Merry Christmas" lost its meaning?
Christmas, under its original name Cristes Maesse, or Mass of Christ, was just that: a Mass intended to honor the birth of Christ. Through celebrating the birth of Christ, the tradition turned into a celebration of his youth as well, recognizing that Jesus too was a young child once. Therefore, parents transferred this celebration of the child Jesus to their own children, celebrating childhood and bestowing gifts upon their young ones. Over time, gift-giving became for many the central aspect of Christmas, which was eventually applied not only to children but to adults as well. In this way the original spirit of Christmas was glossed over, buried in wrapping paper and ribbon. This is not to say that all who celebrate Christmas do this, but Christmas today, celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike, has ceased to center on the birth of Jesus Christ as it was originally intended to do. Interestingly, the phrase "Merry Christmas" originated in England and was originally used to mean "short of time during joyful celebration." The phrase really took off with the invention of the Christmas card, a way to mass produce and send joy and cheer for the birth of Jesus to all ones family and friends.
When people greet each other with "Merry Christmas" today, does it really still mean what it used to, since, as a society, we do not all believe in God and Jesus? Most of you have probably heard about the devaluation of Christmas due to commercialization. However, Walker Percy (1916-1990), a philosopher and novelist, provides us with a more profound criticism of this devaluation. Percy considered himself a diagnostician of the modern soul and sought to identify the sources of troubles plaguing humans today and bring them to our awareness.
Christmas, under its original name Cristes Maesse, or Mass of Christ, was just that: a Mass intended to honor the birth of Christ. Through celebrating the birth of Christ, the tradition turned into a celebration of his youth as well, recognizing that Jesus too was a young child once. Therefore, parents transferred this celebration of the child Jesus to their own children, celebrating childhood and bestowing gifts upon their young ones. Over time, gift-giving became for many the central aspect of Christmas, which was eventually applied not only to children but to adults as well. In this way the original spirit of Christmas was glossed over, buried in wrapping paper and ribbon. This is not to say that all who celebrate Christmas do this, but Christmas today, celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike, has ceased to center on the birth of Jesus Christ as it was originally intended to do. Interestingly, the phrase "Merry Christmas" originated in England and was originally used to mean "short of time during joyful celebration." The phrase really took off with the invention of the Christmas card, a way to mass produce and send joy and cheer for the birth of Jesus to all ones family and friends.
When people greet each other with "Merry Christmas" today, does it really still mean what it used to, since, as a society, we do not all believe in God and Jesus? Most of you have probably heard about the devaluation of Christmas due to commercialization. However, Walker Percy (1916-1990), a philosopher and novelist, provides us with a more profound criticism of this devaluation. Percy considered himself a diagnostician of the modern soul and sought to identify the sources of troubles plaguing humans today and bring them to our awareness.