‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.’

In 1823, the famous words of Clement Clarke Moore cemented themselves in the minds of many. Christmas has since evolved tremendously, from a time when it was never celebrated and even to a point when it was made illegal. Now, it is customary to display large polyester posters of Santa Claus and his saccharine smile, endorsing different products, to decorate streets and walls around town.

Ah, Christmas - the holiday that includes gifts, decorated trees, a warm fireplace, gingerbread, enchanting tunes that repeat on the radio, and even an evaluation of whether we had been good or bad. For many, Christmas rituals involve strolling down the street admiring the decorations, while Michael Buble draws attention to the fact that It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.

How did this religious celebration turn into a secular household event?

Modern-day Christmas seems to have evolved and grown into a consumeristic event. From the moment the calendars flip to ‘December,’ even earlier in some cases, stores automatically clear their Halloween stockpile to display Christmas decorations and treats.

So why was it that before the 20th century, Christmas was never celebrated? How did it grow into such an apparent large affair?

We have seen the successful commercialization of holidays before. For instance, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and New Year’s Day. Christmas, however, sparks up a special debate due to the question of whether it is a religious holiday or not and how it had evolved to become one that almost everyone feels free to join in. Before we can evaluate the evolution of Christmas as we know it, we must understand how this even came about.

(Brief) History of Christmas

It was only in the 4th century that church officials decided to begin celebrating the birth of Jesus by making it into a holiday. Originally known as the Feast of Nativity, this custom boomed in popularity and spread across the world, until it reached the shores of England by the end of the sixth century.

However, upon the Puritans’ arrival in the 1600s in England, they made it effectively illegal to celebrate the holiday. Devout Oliver Cromwell and his Parliament were adamant on furthering their Puritan agenda, to the extent of having town-criers yell ‘No Christmas! No Christmas!’ on Christmas Eve. It was only when King Charles II ascended the throne that Christmas returned.

Meanwhile, in America, it was not until the 19th century that Americans began truly embracing Christmas and changing its meaning. At that point in time, there was an immense class conflict. Unemployment was high and gang rioting often happened during the Christmas season.

The chaos stirred the minds of Washington Irvine and Charles Dickens, as they respectively penned stories with a similar theme – about Christmas being a season of peace, giving, and celebration. In Irving’s stories, he sketched a squire that invited peasants into his home for the holiday, and the two different classes bonded seamlessly. Dickens wrote his story with the overarching theme of charity and goodwill among people. This specific message managed to warm the hearts of many in the United States as well as England.

The benefits of celebrating Christmas became clear – it could be a day that brought about peace and with it, joy. Now, more than 100 years later, this shift is evident with multiple traditions and customs that we see manifested, highlighting the evolution of Christmas.

Modern-day Christmas

It is practically impossible to miss 25th December because everywhere you look, there will be something there to remind you. From commercials to malls, in the streets, and even on the radio, we are constantly reminded of the season.

Modern-day Christmas looks more like 12/12 deals, ads counting down the days to the 25th of December, and Christmas-themed parks. Ads and posters fill social media platforms, and in-between online videos, viewers are prompted to hurry and get their Christmas gifts before time runs out.

There is a sense of urgency that naturally builds during the Holiday season as Christmas day looms nearby.

We get reminders everywhere to finish our Christmas shopping as soon as possible. The words ‘finish Christmas shopping’ sneak their way onto our to-do lists and everyone gets busy preparing for the festivities.

Finding the perfect gift for loved ones or colleagues, as well as decorating homes for the holidays are tasks that fill our time during the holiday season. Let’s see…you need Christmas lights, wreaths, mistletoe, and a Christmas tree, of course!

Department stores stock their shelves with tempting merchandise to cater to customers’ Christmas needs. They welcome you with smiles and sell their products at attractive low prices, prompting you to purchase the gifts before it’s too late. In addition, food and beverage establishments like Starbucks release Christmas-themed drinks and special edition products only available during the holiday period, urging you to try them before they are no longer available.

According to The National Retail Federation President and CEO Matt Shay, Holiday retail sales in November and December 2022 are expected to grow 6% to 8% over 2021’s record sales of $889.3 billion to a new record of between $942.6 billion to $960.4 billion.

Christmas has effectively grown itself into a branding tool used by companies and organizations internationally, for decades.

Effects of Christmas

What are the effects of the evolution of Christmas?

For one, ‘Modern Christmas’ promotes and emphasizes an overarching theme of materialism and overconsumption.

In the UK, an estimated amount of £42 million worth of unwanted gifts, end up in landfills. Every year, 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is thrown away and 300,000 tonnes of card packaging is used around the world during the holiday season.

Over the years, YouTube has boasted an annual trend of content creators showcasing Christmas gifts through their platforms. The ‘Gift Haul’ videos have encouraged an overwhelmingly increasing amount of comparisons among the viewers to the influencers, which are typically stemmed from envy and insecurities that are often notoriously voiced in the comment sections. The sentiment of the gift, which was once composed of love, thought, and effort, is now only deemed valuable and meaningful based on its price.

Additionally, in recent years, the commercialization of wish lists and the idea that to be rewarded with gifts, children should always be ‘good,’ have been overly popularized around the world. With this modern evolution, the ethics and meaning of Christmas, have been shifted to focus more on the exchanging of materialistic goods for one’s happiness, rather than the symbol of the gift itself for the holiday.

However, why do we continue to willingly indulge in these Christmas festivities annually?

It is no secret that as much as we wish for jolly old Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and their reindeer and elves, to be real, it is still most unlikely for this dream to ever happen. Yet, people do not hesitate to invest an immense amount of energy and money towards bringing this festivity to life.

Parents leave presents at the foot of Christmas trees, at home, for their children to wake up to, claiming with glee that Santa Claus arrived the night before. In Singapore, an annual Christmas exhibition, with carnival games, beautiful light displays, live performances, and fake snow, is usually stimulated to imitate winter festivities for all the guests.

In addition, shopping malls hire actors to perform as Santas - to be seated on large chairs for customers to share what they would like for Christmas (and snap a few pictures with, of course). In fact, Schools4Santa, the International University of Santa Claus, boasts more than 4800 graduates since its establishment. The Charles W. Howard Santa Claus Institution in Michigan opens its doors to Professional Santas worldwide for a three-day-intensive course to learn everything there is to know about being a Santa. Across the days, participants engage in learning how to accomplish the Santa appearance to American Sign Language for accessible communication with all children, and even vocal lessons. Activities are conducted in an engaging manner where the participants (typically the elderly) get to have fun whilst learning new things.

A common trend amongst these Christmas-themed events and activities is the fact that they are not limited to being for children only but instead, for people of all ages, nationalities, races, and cultures.

As of 2022, we have braced a global pandemic that still carries on to this day, large political shifts and events that significantly altered the course of history and the future in just a couple of years. In addition, general pressure and stress have only increased amongst the youths and adults with each passing year. This speaks volumes about the mindset of people now.

The line ‘Silent night, holy night / All is calm, all is bright’ by Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr, describes a warm Christmas night best.

Now, Christmas is a time for us to indulge in these light-hearted festivities, dream about reindeer that fly across the sky at night, and also a time to speak about a kind old man that is most known for giving gifts to ‘good’ children, all whilst sipping on a warm mug of eggnog.

We now need these festivities even more now than ever, as it is a crucial time for us to seek solace. It has become an opportunity for everyone, the young and the old, to have fun and forget about the high demands of reality.

Our Modern Christmas no longer acts with the sole purpose for the children, but instead, for everyone.

The Commercialisation of Christmas

Sources

InSight Scoop