How do you think Christmas has changed over the decades?

Oh definitely, shallow, boring another Christmas. The real meaning of Christmas is lost. Whatever one makes it to be. Whether religious, or a time to be with family and loved ones that is the real meaning. Also maybe helping others, you know less fortunate. I try every year to make lunch for my lonely neighbor but he is always to drunk and passed out to eat it loll.

As far as consumerism goes, I don’t think Christmas has changed much at all. Cards and decorations, as far as I can tell, have always appeared early on in the year, and many kids always get the latest stuff that’s popular at that time; whether that’s pogs, video games or ipods. I suppose it depends on how far back you wanna go, but as far back as I can recall Christmas is pretty much the same as its always been when it comes to spending and advertising.

Well…..children would freak out if all they found in their stockings were a shiney new penny, a tin cup and an orange. lol

I don’t get any toys no more, at least not “conventional” ones.

It’s not changed much in my lifetime apart from a great increase in the money that is spent.

The Christmas songs still mean something in my house.

The last few decades, not that much really. For people who hand made their gifts, they would often work on their crafts all year long. For people who buy presents, they often spent/spend months thinking about what they will be able to afford.

Businesses have simply gotten more vocal about the trappings of all holidays, not only Christmas.

From my perspective Christmas has not changed much. Shopping, gift giving, nutcracker, trimming trees, family dinners, cartoons and Miracle on 34th St. Some people go to midnight mass. It does start earlier now. Not just in the stores, but even people at home put up their trees and lights a little sooner I think. But, overall it has always been a commercial, consumer holiday from where I sit. Where I sit is as a Jewish person who only celebrated Christmas with friends or boyfriends and now my husband’s family. And, I worked retail from the age of 14 to my early 30’s (I’m 44 now). We did have people who went carolling when I was young, that I don’t really see anymore.

This ad was printed in 1931. Miracle on 34th Street came out in 1947, and was basically a movie-length advertisement for Macy’s. @Symbeline is right, commercialism at Christmas is not a new phenomenon.

Well I see many of these younger kids, including a few in my own family, who get more gifts in just one Christmas than I did my entire life, yet get bored with what they have so easily and are so unappreciative. Christmas has become more industrialized then ever before in my opinion, however I’m not a Christian so obviously the meaning this holiday has to them will be different than it would for me.

Christmas is the birthday of Christ; that has never and will never change.

@MollyMcGuire Well, you must know that that is not true… I don’t think anyone claims that Jesus was actually born on December 25th. When you consider why his birth is celebrated on that date, you will realize that this is not just a Christian holiday.

@glacial Christmas in my opinion is a Christian Holiday. It is the day the birth of Christ is celebrated whether he was born that day or not. CHRISTmas. I understand it is celebrated during Yule and many celebrate Christmas in a secular way, but as a Jewish person, I never really forget it is not my holiday it is a Christian holiday. I celebrate it with my friends and my husband’s family, but it is not my holiday. Maybe Christians easily think of it as both a religious holiday and secular/commercial holiday, but I don’t. As I get older I accept more and more that it is celebrated by many in a secular way, but it is a slow process for me to really think of Christmas that way, I have not completely reached that point. I don’t see any non-Jews celebrating Chanukah just because it is a day you can give or get a gift.

@JLeslie My point is that Christmas is not actually Jesus’ birthday. I was responding specifically to @MollyMcGuire‘s literal comment. And, I suppose, to that irritating phrase “Jesus is the reason for the season” that one hears so often. Jesus is not actually the reason for the season. This seasonal holiday has deep pagan roots that Christianity has hijacked.

And you are right – a lot of families (I mean, enough families to have prompted the creation of that cloying phrase) celebrate the quite non-secular traditions of Christmas, without ever mentioning Jesus, donkeys, or mangers or any of that stuff.

@glacial It’s interesting how the Christians kind of took over the winter holiday and now it is hard for me to separate it. At least in America the Christians take such ownership over it and beieve as @MollyMcGuire that it makes me less likely to be able to say the secular parts of Christmas are not representative of Christmas. I don’t know if I am expaining myself well. I think you and I agree overallactually, I don’t feel we have an argument here. I enjoy the decorated trees, I like the carrols, and other Christmas traditions, but I just see it as me enjoying someone else’s holiday. I wish Christmas was just the religious holiday and the secular parts were credited to Yule or some other celebration. Same with Easter. I think it is weird to have chocolate bunnies associated with the resurection of Christ.

@JLeslie “I think you and I agree overall”

Oh yes, I think so too. The difference (I think) is that I was raised in a non-practicing Christian household, with the tree and the lights and the wrapping paper and the movies. So, it’s my durned holiday, even if I don’t believe in Jesus. No one is stopping me from making shortbread cookies, or telling me why I’m doing it. ;)

And I’m totally with you on the chocolate bunny thing. What is that?

@glacial Being a nonpracticing Christian means doing those Christmas things just makes you one of those people who just celebrates the holidays so to speak. Like Jewish people who just do Chanukah and Passover. I don’t have any problem with that at all. The bunny is from the pagan holiday I think? The celebration of spring, birth, renewal. Eggs and rabbits are fertility and new life. That is where I guess it makes sense with Jesus being reborn? Still odd though.