Why Is Christmas Celebrated?

Christmas is the festival of sharing gifts, singing Christmas carols, decorating Christmas trees, baking cakes and cookies at home and many more. However, you all will be agree with me that all celebrations have their own historical or mythical story behind them. And our children must know the significance of Christmas Celebration. They should know why we are celebrating this festival...and what moral and social responsibility this festival invites with it. Christmas is not the birthday celebration of Lord Jesus only. It includes Santa Claus, Christmas trees, sharing gifts and much more.

Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?

Here are some facts and myths that explain the real significance of Christmas.

Santa Claus-Fact Or Fiction

It is often said that Christmas is the perfect example of the amalgamation of fact and fiction. Rationalists will say that Santa Claus is a purely fictitious character as none of us have ever seen him riding on his famous sledge dropping gifts for children through chimneys or putting them into stockings. Then...?? Is he a mere result of children's fabricated imagination?

The Real Santa Claus- St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man with a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts in the form of cash or kind to people who needed it. There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true!

The Journey Of Nicholas To St. Nicholas, the real Santa Clause - A Fascinating Story

There was a poor man who had three daughters. He did not have enough money for a dowry to get his daughters married. One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house to rescue the old man from his abject poverty. The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated until his all daughters got married. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold.

Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas. Owning to his kindness and good deeds Nicholas was declared as a Saint. And in this way the concept of Santa Claus and his journey started.

The Gifts Of Magi - Significance Of Christmas Presents

One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents during Christmas is to remind us of the presents given to lord Jesus by the three Wise Men,the magi: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. All these were used in Jewish worship and it showed that those three wise men acknowledged lord Jesus from his birth itself and worshipped him as their God.

Significance of Christmas Tree

The evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals for thousands of years. Non Christian people used branches of it to decorate their homes during the winter solstice, as it made them think of the spring to come. Christians use it as a sign of everlasting life with God.

We have to keep in our mind that the use of a fir tree points directly to the evergreen's ability to keep its crisp, viridian colour all year...so our faith to God. Science has proven the aroma of pine, fir and cedar is both relaxing and invigorating which pampers the spirit of Christmas at the fullest.

Christmas Decorations

This Christmas tree is decorated thoroughly by households as a mark to lord Jesus' birth and the beginning of celebrations and countdown to New Years' eve.

Significance Of Christmas Carols

The word Carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy! And Christmas is a festival of joy and mirth indeed. That's why Christmas carols are an inseparable part of this festival. All these songs glorify one and only Lord Jesus.

Significance of Christmas Stockings

A Christmas stocking is an empty sock or sock-shaped bag that is hung on Christmas Eve so that Santa Claus can fill it with small toys, candy, fruit, coins or other small gifts when he arrives. These small items are often referred to as stocking stuffers or stocking fillers.

How To Inculcate The Spirit of Christmas In Your Child?

Here are some of the stories that you can tell your child.

1. Tell the significance of all the above mentioned things to your children emphasizing the positivity of Christmas Celebration like Hope,Rebirth,Healing,Loyalty,Constancy,Reverence,Longevity,Protection and Permanence
2. Make them understand that we all can follow the path of St. Nicholas by spreading our helping hands to the less privileged people around us. Encourage them to donate their old clothes and used but good conditioned toys to the local orphanage
3. Guide them how to make small hand made gifts for family members. Don't forget to teach them to be happy with small gifts and to appreciate it in front of the giver
4. Ask your children to assist you in the kitchen to bake cakes and cookies as the spirit of Christmas includes helping each other and enjoying together
5. If your children received many gifts on Christmas, ask them to give any one gift to the child of the domestic help of your house
6. Small children truthfully believe that Santa Claus gives gifts only to well behaved children. So ask them to consider Christmas gifts as rewards for their good behaviour to all

Friends, the real significance of Christmas is sharing love and care to all. Please share your opinion and feedback in the comment section.