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In 2022, the average Christmas debt for an American was $1,549. In 2024, 36% of Americans took on Christmas debt. Only 44% of them planned on it. Christmas has become a flurry of gifts, spending, and decorating. We seem to have lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas, the Birth of Christ.
The History of Christmas
Christmas has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870, but it has been celebrated since long before that. Pope Julius I declared December 25 to be Christmas to absorb pagan (holding beliefs other than the main religion of the time) traditions of celebrating their gods in the winter. Christmas and pagan traditions coexisted until Christmas and Christianity had replaced pagan religions and traditions in the middle ages. Mistletoe, Christmas wreaths, and Christmas trees were all adopted from pagan religions.
When the pilgrims came to America, Christmas wasn’t a holiday because of their strict Orthodox beliefs. Anyone in Boston between 1659-1681 who showed Christmas Spirit was fined five shillings (a former British currency). Other groups in colonial America began celebrating the 12 days of Christmas on December 25. They would participate in special church services, visit family and friends, and attend parties. The focus of Christmas in the colonial times was to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and go to Christmas parties. People exchanged gifts, however it wasn’t the most crucial part of the holiday. Many Christmas traditions we have today were not practiced in colonial America. Christmas trees, stockings, and Santa Claus were considered odd.
Christmas as we know it today began to pick back up in the United States in the early 19th century with the Victorians. Around this time, Washington Irving’s The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon and Tom Dickens’ A Christmas Carol were created. These stories showed the spirit of giving to people less fortunate than themselves and supporting others like how Christmas had originally been celebrated in colonial America. This led Americans to begin thinking of Christmas as a holiday for giving gifts, sending cards, and decorating trees rather than celebrating Christ with their family and friends. Brandon Mayden, Personal Finance and Economics teacher at Karns, describes his thoughts on why Christmas has become so consumerized.
“I feel like it’s more about that [money] because it’s just kinda the American way, right? It becomes about capitalism and about the dollar more than the meaning behind what it’s really about,” Mayden said.
Christmas Consumerism Numbers
Over the course of the last two decades, Christmas and holiday spending has skyrocketed. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans spend $902 on average each Christmas. Typically, 71% ($641) of the money is spent on gifts for family, friends, and coworkers. The other 29% ($261) is used for other seasonal items such as decorations. Holiday sales have been increasing year after year since 2008. In 2024, approximately $994.1 billion was spent during the holiday season. That number is over double what was spent 20 years before at $467.2 billion.
Americans also tend to overestimate how much they will spend during the holidays by at least $100. In 2024, Americans expected to spend an average of $1,012 on Christmas shopping. That’s $110 more than the average spend on holiday shopping for 2024. According to the NRF’s spending prediction, 2024 has had the highest spending prediction in over a decade at $902.
While gifts have largely affected the overconsumerism of the holiday season, things such as non-gifts experiences have also skyrocketed. In 2024, Americans spent an estimated $507 on non-gifts, and $735 on experiences.
The True Meaning of Christmas
The story of Jesus Christ has been passed down for centuries. Christians believe that Jesus didn’t have a glorified birth despite being the King of Kings. His mother was a virgin when she had Him, but she trusted in the Lord. Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem when His parents had come to pay their taxes.
Luke 2:7 states that “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Shepherds and wise men came to worship Him and bring Him gifts. They knew He was the King of Kings despite His humble birth. The story of His birth is the start of Him fulfilling prophecies and becoming the Savior of the world.
Isaiah 7:14 states that “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Immanuel is defined as God with us. Jesus lived as both man and God at once. Jesus did not live without suffering, though. He started his ministry at 30 years old and was crucified for the sins of the world at 33 years old. Jesus’ birth may seem small and insignificant to many, but it marked the birth of the man who lived and died for our sins. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the Birth of Christ, the Savior of the world. Matt Caldwell, Pastor at Olivet Baptist Church, explains what Christmas should truly be about.
“It’s a celebration of our Savior,” Caldwell said, “That’s what it should be about. … I think some of the problem today is the world has taken Christmas away. We say things like ‘Merry X-Mas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’ when it should be Christmas and Christ is the first part of the word Christmas.”
How We Can Go Back to the True Meaning of Christmas and Over-Consumerize Less
Seeking Jesus and finding Him in our day-to-day life isn’t always easy. The Christmas season brings along a flurry of panic and stress over gifts and visiting family. Many families can hardly stand to be in the same house long enough to even celebrate the birth of Christ. Despite that, many families and communities want to center their holidays around Christ. Chloe Fleeman, Senior at Karns, explains how she would change Christmas to be less consumerized and more based around the Birth of Christ.
“I would find a place to hold gatherings for anyone and everyone who wants to come and celebrate the Birth of Christ together,” Fleeman said.
Community is a large part in how Christmas is celebrated. It can change from community to community, family to family, and church to church. Mayden also gives a piece of advice on how Christians could make Christmas more about Christ in their communities.
“I think they [Christians] just have to live it out. I think they just have to live out their Christianity, and I think that would actually make a difference and actually share the love of Jesus,” Mayden said.
Conclusion
Christians are called to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. This Christmas season, our focus should be shifted from consumerism and things like overconsumption to focus on the Birth of Jesus Christ and the love that he calls us to give others.
1 John 4:10 states that “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Jesus lived and died for our sins, becoming the Savior of the world. His Birth is just the beginning of the wonderful gift he gave us when he was crucified. This Christmas season, we should think of the humble birth that Jesus had and focus our shift to his glory.
