Christmas, do we really need it?
Well here we are, Christmas Eve. For most of us regardless of our belief system, this is a special time of year. Although seen as a Christian celebration it is accepted by most academics to have been a pagan celebration adopted by Christianity to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Now there is evidence that Jesus is a real historical figure, whether or not you’re a practicing Christian, apparently he did exist; although probably not born in December. Whether or not the depiction of him and events as portrayed in the Bible is accurate is for you to decide and believe or disbelieve on a personnel level. It is not what I wish to write about today. What I do wish to leave you thinking about is, before we celebrated this Christian holiday we celebrated a pagan festival which just happened to be mid-winter. No matter how much the church was against this celebration they just couldn’t stop people from enjoying it so, they moved the birth date of Jesus to co-inside with mid-winter and turned it into a celebration of his birth. Now why would the populace not comply with the wishes of the Church? At that time the Church was everything to people, you just did not dare to defy it and yet at this one time of year people did, why? Is it because we need something to keep us going in the coldest, darkest and bleakest time of the year? I can see why we would have this need in the past as it’s about this time of year that the days begin to get longer and nights get shorter. It seems to me there is some physiological need for us humans to have something to look forward to at this time of year to get us through the winter. So does Christmas still full fill this function or does our modern lives negate this need; with our electric lights and modern entertainment devices do we really need a mid-winter festival? Do look forward to Christmas or do you face its coming with dread because of the extra work involved in the preparation? Let me know your opinions in the comments below. One thing is for certain, it’s a time for friends and family regardless of belief but Christmas stress can ruin your Christmas, so remember delegate, relax and enjoy Christmas whoever you are and whatever you believe in.