Santa's Whiskers

Origins of Christmas

Everything has a beginning. But in the case of Christmas there are two, because after theProtestant Reformation the holiday was reinvented.

Today Christmas is a widely observed cultural holiday, an annual mid-winter festival that is traditionally celebrated on December 25th. Celebrated by millions of people around the world, Christmas is a civil holiday in the United States as well as in many of the world’s nations. 

In the United States, the season of Christmas traditionally begins with the annual Thanksgiving Parade, and Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) marks the beginning of the holiday shopping period. New Year’s Day marks the end of the festive season. 

For Christians, Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is central to the Christian liturgical year, closing the Advent season and initiating the twelve days of Christmastide, which ends after the twelfth night.

For non-Christians who 
celebrate Christmas, it is an 
annual mid-winter festival 
focused on family, friends and 
fellowship. It represents the 
closing of one year and the 
beginning of the next.

The customs associated with 
Christmas have a mix of 
pagan, pre-Christian, 
Christian and secular themes 
and origins, including 
gift-giving, special music and 
caroling, attending church 
celebrations, feasting, the 
exchanging of cards, the display of various holiday decorations, the reading of seasonal stories and the watching of seasonal movies. 

For many Christmas is a fond memory of a winter snowfall, roaring fireplace, familiar music, family and friends gathered around, laughter, remembering, exchanging gifts and bonding.