A holiday celebrated around the world, Christmas Day became a federal holiday in
1870, and was enacted by President Ulysses S. Grant. The Act signed by President
Grant provided any day appointed, or recommended by the President of the United
States, to be a day of public fasting, or thanksgiving, and declared a holiday.
Cristes Maesse in old english, and Christemasse in middle english, refer to
Christ's Mass. We celebrate the coming of God into the world, in the form of
man, to forgive or pardon the sins of humanity. We celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Although not celebrated by all, or celebrated in various traditional ways, there
are many similarities in Christmas traditions around the world.
Christmas is one of the biggest and brightest holidays celebrated, for most
people in America. Every culture in America may celebrate with its own history
of Christmas, and there are a variety of traditions and folklore. What seems
universal, is that Christmas seems to be a time of anticipation, joy, and
appreciation, spent with family and friends. The United States was actually one
of the last places in the world to adopt Christmas as an official holiday, but
Americans have made up for that, and have created celebrations rich in history
and tradition. Alabama was the first state to make Christmas a legal holiday,
followed by Washington D.C.in 1870, and by 1893, every state had followed.
Because the United States is a country diverse in cultural background, there has
been controversy around making Christmas a federal holiday. It has been
challenged on the basis of the United States Constitution declaring separation
of church and state. It has been been argued that Christmas is used to promote
an economic stimulus due to the tradition of buying Christmas presents, and
decorations as well. The American Civil Liberties Union has initiated court
cases to bar display of traditional Christmas images from public property,
including schools, and the word Christmas has even been taken out of some
advertisements due to this controversy.
Christmas is a time to remember and celebrate the Messiah born, to bring
salvation to the world. The message is that there is hope for atonement, or
forgiveness of past wrongs committed. This can be a universal theme for all, no
matter what religious beliefs, and that is worth celebrating. It does not matter
whether you call Santa Claus “Dun Che Lao Ren”, as the Chinese do, or say“Feliz
Natal” which is Merry Christmas in Brazil, Christmas remains a time for
anticipation, giving, family, belief, and hope. The decorations, mistletoe,
trees, lights, caroling, gifts, and feasts are all very personal displays of the
Christmas season. Each person has the right to celebrate what Christmas Day
stands for in their own way, making Christmas a holiday to unite Americans of
all cultural beliefs.
