Doing Christmas your own way
What are your Christmas traditions? Maybe church and prayer before lunch? Maybe a movie and a box of celebrations? Maybe both? It’s strange that something with ‘Christ’ in the name would have such varied and secular traditions.
Should this be the case? Let’s talk about it. To begin with, we should start with a question that seems to be consistently circulating: is Christmas a pagan holiday? This has been debated in so many previous articles, each with varying arguments and ending in a vast range of conclusions. Some claim that Christmas has deep roots in pagan tradition. For example, the winter solstice has been celebrated long before Christmas – an ancient festival celebrating the 12 days during and after the shortest day of the year, known as Yule.
By the 10th century however, the word Yule was used to refer to Christmas and its festivities, in contrast to the Yule itself. Nonetheless, this shared vocabulary indicates some link between paganism and Christmas - further support of this view would be that some other articles have ideas that state traditions like mistletoe and fir trees also stem from pagan ideas.
On the flip side, some argue that Christmas cannot be pagan whatsoever, as it is celebrating the birth of Jesus, something specifically religious to Christianity. Perhaps, the pagan celebration already existed and evolved into the Christian holiday of Christmas over time. Christmas itself may not be pagan, but some traditions and the idea of a winter festival were pre-existent.
So, if the likelihood is that Christmas has pagan roots, how does that affect us today? Should Christmas be celebrated solely religiously still? While I think it’s incredibly important to remember the Christian core of some of the meaning behind Christmas, it can and should be so much more than that. Many people now are atheists and still celebrate this holiday, and -I don’t know about you - but I occasionally feel guilty for ‘stealing’ a small aspect of the Christian celebration by commemorating it, when I am not Christian myself.
However, surely there’s nothing wrong with that? And surely there’s nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas alongside its deep-rooted religious values either? I may not go to church or pray, and my family is very unlikely to talk about Jesus on the 25th - but at the centre of our day is the sense of family, warmth and tradition that I don’t think can be removed. It seems more special and wholesome to share the love that comes with Christmas and let everyone use this as an opportunity to come together and celebrate it in whatever way brings them the most happiness, than it does to be strict on who is or isn’t allowed to do so, or what rules they should follow if they do.
Additionally, for many people, the holidays are a time of such joy, that the diversity of the celebrations, or reason for celebrating shouldn’t matter enough for it to brew into any form of disagreement.
As we’ve already discovered, Christmas has had a lot of influence to shape it from various traditions throughout the years. Therefore, each tradition is as important and meaningful as each other, and should be respected equally; whether it be religious, familial - the possibilities are endless.
The point is, whether you celebrate a more secular Christmas, or you are deeply religious, you are valid. Traditions can be shared, communities can be brought together, and the overall feeling of warmth should be promoted to all. While accepting all around you, have a wonderful Christmas, or a joyful few weeks.
Eleanor Walters, Year 9
Should this be the case? Let’s talk about it. To begin with, we should start with a question that seems to be consistently circulating: is Christmas a pagan holiday? This has been debated in so many previous articles, each with varying arguments and ending in a vast range of conclusions. Some claim that Christmas has deep roots in pagan tradition. For example, the winter solstice has been celebrated long before Christmas – an ancient festival celebrating the 12 days during and after the shortest day of the year, known as Yule.
By the 10th century however, the word Yule was used to refer to Christmas and its festivities, in contrast to the Yule itself. Nonetheless, this shared vocabulary indicates some link between paganism and Christmas - further support of this view would be that some other articles have ideas that state traditions like mistletoe and fir trees also stem from pagan ideas.
On the flip side, some argue that Christmas cannot be pagan whatsoever, as it is celebrating the birth of Jesus, something specifically religious to Christianity. Perhaps, the pagan celebration already existed and evolved into the Christian holiday of Christmas over time. Christmas itself may not be pagan, but some traditions and the idea of a winter festival were pre-existent.
So, if the likelihood is that Christmas has pagan roots, how does that affect us today? Should Christmas be celebrated solely religiously still? While I think it’s incredibly important to remember the Christian core of some of the meaning behind Christmas, it can and should be so much more than that. Many people now are atheists and still celebrate this holiday, and -I don’t know about you - but I occasionally feel guilty for ‘stealing’ a small aspect of the Christian celebration by commemorating it, when I am not Christian myself.
However, surely there’s nothing wrong with that? And surely there’s nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas alongside its deep-rooted religious values either? I may not go to church or pray, and my family is very unlikely to talk about Jesus on the 25th - but at the centre of our day is the sense of family, warmth and tradition that I don’t think can be removed. It seems more special and wholesome to share the love that comes with Christmas and let everyone use this as an opportunity to come together and celebrate it in whatever way brings them the most happiness, than it does to be strict on who is or isn’t allowed to do so, or what rules they should follow if they do.
Additionally, for many people, the holidays are a time of such joy, that the diversity of the celebrations, or reason for celebrating shouldn’t matter enough for it to brew into any form of disagreement.
As we’ve already discovered, Christmas has had a lot of influence to shape it from various traditions throughout the years. Therefore, each tradition is as important and meaningful as each other, and should be respected equally; whether it be religious, familial - the possibilities are endless.
The point is, whether you celebrate a more secular Christmas, or you are deeply religious, you are valid. Traditions can be shared, communities can be brought together, and the overall feeling of warmth should be promoted to all. While accepting all around you, have a wonderful Christmas, or a joyful few weeks.
Eleanor Walters, Year 9