Is Christmas Still Relevant?

It has been a year like no other and that also holds true for Christmas 2020. Like the other holidays on the calendar this year, it was mostly a non-event. For some unfortunate people, there was little under the tree and the future is not looking positive. We had only brief visits with my husband\'s family and spent Christmas just the two of us. One day, we found ourselves discussing how Christmas has changed over the years and what it might be like in the future, or if it might even continue to exist. Would Christmas still be relevant in the years ahead?

The first point most people will bring up as the thing that could bury Christmas is the complaint that it has become nothing but a retail opportunity. This isn\'t new; people were saying that during Victorian times. However the origin and meaning of Christmas has definitely been lost along the way. A survey done here in Britain a few years ago revealed that more than two thirds of the children asked had no idea what Christmas was actually about. I can’t fathom that myself, but I suppose if no one tells you and you don\'t think to find out for yourself, how would you know. Church attendance is at an all time low and religion, or at least Christianity, is increasingly being seen as outdated superstition. But still, that was a bit of an info bomb when I heard about it.

Until the early part of the 19th century, Christmas was mostly a religious observance and New Year was the time for gift giving, parties and general celebration. In countries that observed the Feast of St Nicolas on December 6th, children might receive small gifts and sweets.

There are numerous theories about how we got to the modern retail opp version of Christmas, starting with the popularity of the poem, "The Night Before Christmas” which featured St Nick and Dickens “ A Christmas Carol”, a tale of charity and redemption. Christmas as we now know it however didn\'t really get off the ground until the turn of the 20th century when the retail industry spotted a profit niche and started targeting children and their parents in advertising and sales. The rest is marketing history.

We wondered if, in the wake of the economic wreckage left by the pandemic, we might see a return to a more traditional Christmas and not just out of monetary necessity. Christmas with less emphasis on spending and general excess, and more on a spiritual or altruistic aspect. You don't have to be a Christian or even hold any particular religious beliefs to be spiritual. Could it not simply be a time to reflect on the past year, remember who and what is really important in our lives? To give more of our time and attention to those who need it, both things that no amount of money can achieve. The more challenging the times become, the greater the need for charity. I don’t wish to sound prim or preachy here. I’m just suggesting that perhaps Christmas might once again be a more relevant and important part of the calendar if we take a leaf from its origins and bring that forward into the future. After all, the first Christmas was about hope wasn\'t it and as long as we have hope, we have a reason to look ahead.

Now donkt get me started on Easter ......