Christmas is right around the corner. That means giving gifts, and hanging out with family and friends. But why is it called “Christmas”?
Christmas is celebrated on Dec 24. According to Reader’s Digest, many people think Jesus was born exactly on Christmas, but the Bible does not provide details that this is the case. The Digest reads that, “Many people think it’s because that was the day Jesus was born, but that’s not true. The Bible doesn’t say when he was born, and the few clues we have—like shepherds guarding their flocks outside—hint that it may have been in the spring”.
The way Christmas got its name is because in Catholic Tradition, people wanted to renovate the name from the old holiday and give it a Christian name. According to Reader’s Digest “A big step in rebranding the old holiday was to give it a new, religious name. In fact, the word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, Old English for “Christ’s mass,” which references the Catholic tradition of holding a special mass to celebrate Jesus”.
Christmas is not all about giving gifts, it is also about the importance of spending time with your friends and family. According to The Stream, “Family is perhaps the most important part of Christmas in many people’s minds because when you strip away all of the surface things in our lives – hobbies, pastimes, activities – and even go beyond the more serious aspects of our lives – school, work, church – you get down to the most basic, most critical part of our lives. For most people, that is the family”.
So, whether you connect more with the name of Christmas, the tradition of the Biblical connections, or just enjoy giving gifts – when it comes down to it, Christmas is a time to be close with loved ones and celebrate. Merry Christmas!
