CHRISTMAS
Christmas is a Christian festivity, the day (December 25) when Christians all over the world celebrate the birthdate of Jesus.
Christmas in Italy
Nowadays Christmas is not only a single day, but a long period that lasts at least three weeks (starting at the beginning of the month), when people remember that Christmas is coming and prepare everything necessary for this special day. While waiting for December 25, there are a lot of things to do for those Catholics who celebrate the real meaning of Christmas, but also for those non-Catholics who simply observe the secular aspects of the holiday.
As soon as early November there are signs of the coming of Christmas in the streets (shops are always open from Monday to Sunday, as in the majority of the countries) and on TV (most of all in advertisements), so that people realize that it is the moment to start thinking about presents, decorations and so on. The more December 25 approaches, the more the city reminds people that it is late and they have to run to do whatever is necessary to make this Christmas a special day: the squares are full of “bancarelle” (stands)which sell everything possible; at street corners you can see Santa Clauses singing, playing Christmas songs or taking pictures with children; lights and decorations are everywhere.
In houses Christmas trees with coloured balls and lights, cannot be forgotten, whereas the Nativity scene with Joseph, Mary, the goats, the sheep, the cows and of course a baby Jesus is (unfortunately!) nowadays more difficult to be found. Perhaps in order to remeber the real meaning of Christmas and to drive people to come back to the tradition of creating a Nativity scene (one of the most important schools for this artistic rapresentation of the birth of Jesus is that of Napoli), you can find Nativity scenes show or competitions that award prizes to the best-made or most original Presepe. When you start decorating your Christmas tree or your traditional Nativity scene, you really start feeling the atmosphere of the holidays! And if you learn to make the decorations by yourself it is even better because they are more personal and will always remind you of how much care and time you put in doing them! There are a lot of courses, magazines and web sites on these techniques, which are not too difficult, even if your manual skills are not great; it takes a little time, but then you will be proud of your beautifully decorated house!
While you are having dinner during the first weeks of December, sometimes a group of young Catholics playing guitars and singing Christmas songs rings your door bell asking for a donation for the parish: it is a traditional and fun way of wishing merry Christmas that we call “Chiara stella” (Caroling).
Of course children must not forget to write their letter to Santa Claus, where they explain that they were good and obedient with their parents, teachers and siblings, and ask for presents. They send their letters and wait and hope...
The last hours before Christmas are almost always spent with the family, having the Eve dinner all together at home: this is a very rich dinner with many courses and traditional food. At midnight most Catholics go to Mass; churches are always full and usually the last time you have seen a lot of these people was the previous Christmas! After Mass some people celebrate the festivity with friends and a hot chocolate, someone else goes back home and opens the gifts brought by Santa Claus... Christmas day is usually spent with one's family and relatives (an Italian proverb says “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi!”), opening and giving presents, eating something here and there, and being in someway better...
Christmas in the U.S.
Christmas time begins in the U.S. after Thanksgiving day and even there this festivity is becoming more and more commercialized. Attention is focused on gifts and decorations; very few people concentrate on the real meaning of Christmas.
Gift-giving is a very important aspect for people and on the day after Thanksgiving everybody become crazy for shopping beacause all of the stores have huge sales so people try to buy everything necessary for Christmas on that day! If inside there are a lot of presents under the Christmas tree, outside decorations are everywhere. What is surprising is the strangeness of these decorations: icescicle lights hanging from the rooftops, every tree filled with lights, an illuminated Santa's sleigh on the roof (with life-size reindeers, of course!), a snowman that waves to people as they drive by, inflatable snow globes with a fan in them to blow the "snow" around... and sometimes a life-size Nativity scene in the yard, complete with life-size Joseph, Mary, goats, sheep, cows, wise men, and of course a baby Jesus. People spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with their family and relatives, having dinner, breakfast and lunch together, running from a relative to another.
Christmas celebrations vary greatly between regions of the United States because of the variety of nationalities which have settled there and each of whom has their own traditions.
The commercialized aspect of Christmas
On the basis of various thoughts and hypothesis, Christians decided to celebrate Jesus Christ's birth on December 25. The date is merely traditional, because nobody knows when Jesus Christ was born exactly. Christmas means a lot of family time and Catholic Christmas traditions. However, many people are wrapped up in the commercialized aspect of Christmas without knowing the meaning behind the holiday and the reason why Jesus is celebrated.
People decorate because they prepare their house for Jesus. They give gifts because they celebrate that Jesus gave them life. If they knew the meaning of the actions they usually perform at Christmas time, they would have a deeper appreciation of Christmas. The commercial side to Christmas tends to distract people from its deeper meaning, making Christmas into a non-religious holiday. For this reason, nowadays people often say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Happy Holidays brushes off Christmas.
Anyway, even though Christmas is mainly a Catholic festivity, nowadays a large number of people, though they are not so devoted to Church, celebrate it. This could be criticisable, but it is a matter of fact. When thinking of Christmas, almost everybody, Catholics and non-Catholics, think of peace, love, a reason for becoming better persons, snow, Christmas tree, Babbo Natale (or Santa Claus), presents.
Christmas stress
Psychologists and doctors have studied temporal trends in suicidal behaviour and have speculated on the connections between suicide and Christmas. On the one hand, it is true that the gathering of relatives and friends provides protection for vulnerable and psychologically fragile people; in addition to that, Christmas celebrations may also evoke positive memories. One the other hand, Christmas can become a very stressful period for many workers. Financial burdens, family conflicts, loneliness, depression, alcohol abuse and so on may intensify during Christmas holidays.
Unfortunately, for a considerable amount of people, Christmas is not a happy period, but rather a period of extreme loneliness and self-evaluation. Most people feel like they just can't cope with the "joyful Christmas attitude". People who are expected to cook a wonderful Christmas meal for a large family gathering may really feel under pressure and should be reassured of the fact that nobody's asking them to work miracles. People who are divorced, or who have lost their partner or loved-ones may feel outrageously lonely and out of place during a Christmas party or celebration. Holiday activities, like going to the mountains or something like that, can add extra stress on an already full schedule. Recognizing sad emotions caused by several problems such as loneliness, or the loss of loved-ones is certainly better than denying them and pretending to be happy anyhow "just because it's Christmas".
Some tips that can help you to cope with Christmas stress:
- Take your time to recognize and identify your feelings towards Christmas weeks before Christmas actually takes place. Try to be aware of your emotional states.
- Be realistic: if you want to buy some presents, you should calculate how much money you can actually afford to spend. Remember that a person's love, or even social prestige, is not measured in terms of material presents.
- Celebrate Christmas with people who make you feel good about yourself, people who have a positive attitude towards life. Avoid staying with pessimistic, boring, obsessive individuals, even if they're part of your family; don't let them spoil your inner peace.
- Avoid expecting extraordinary things to happen among people, "just because it's Christmas". Take things as they are without expecting something new: this kind of things only happen in movies.
- Be careful with what you eat and how much you eat during Christmas holidays. Overeating or binge eating, just like binge drinking, may cause you to gain too much weight in a short period, and may provoke changes in your metabolism and in your brain's biochemistry, and this is a traumatic experience for your organism.
- Children may feel sad when holidays are over, as they think that "the spell has been broken" and that they must go back to the "old sad everyday life". Help your kids find new interests and things they can dedicate themselves to when the holidays are over (not only homework and school!!) .
These few simple pieces of advice can help fragile people and their relatives, friends or partners to cope with S.A.D.(Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Audio introduction
For more information...
- Christmas in United States of America. In Santa's net.Christmas Traditions Around the World . Retrieved December 11, 2006 from http://www.santas.net/americanchristmas.htm
- January 24, 2005. Celebrate! Holidays In The U.S.A. Christmas Day (December 25). In Embassy of the United States of America Stockholm, Sweden. Retrieved December 11, 2006 from http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/Holidays/celebrate/christma.html
- Catholic Christmas. In About. Retrieved December 11, 2006 from http://catholicism.about.com/od/christma1
- MedicineNet.com
- Holiday and Christian depression. In Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center. Retrieved December 11, 2006 from http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com/Depression/holiday_depression.htm
Page Information
|
Wiki Information |
 Update to PBwiki 2.0 An entirely new PBwiki experience, including folders and easier editing. |
Create your own educational wiki!