Traditional American celebrations of Christmas have been declining in recent decades as media and industry have deprioritized its Christian origins.
The industrialization of America started a change in national Christmas celebrations. Companies were able to mass produce goods cheaply and quickly, meaning gifts and toys were more accessible for a larger portion of the population.
This led companies to view the holiday as an opportunity for large profit rather than the Christian celebration it had been in the past.
The widespread influence of the media has also contributed strongly to the consumerist nature of modern celebration. Everything from social media to vintage newspaper ads encourage spending at Christmastime and shame those who don’t partake.
Even the more mystical aspects of the holiday have roots in commercialism. Our image of Santa Claus, a round and jolly man with a distinct white beard and iconic red coat, is the product of a Coca-Cola advertising campaign.
The company debuted his likeness in 1931 in a series of ads depicting Santa delivering gifts and drinking Coke. Before that time, Santa was depicted in many diverse forms ranging from that of a Catholic bishop to a mildly frightening iteration of an elf.
These historical factors, when combined with a marked decrease in Christianity in the U.S., have merged to create the money-making holiday America celebrates today.
This differs dramatically from celebrations of Christmas in many other predominantly Christian countries, such as those in South America and other Spanish-speaking countries, where a great majority of the population is made up of devout Christians.
Christmas in these countries is a very religious holiday. Food and revelry are still part of the holiday, as they are for the US, but they are not the priority.
The religious aspects of the holiday are exponentially more important to families in these areas. Families attend church together, and later, before Christmas dinner, families share in a lengthy prayer.
The gift-giving facet of the holiday also differs from that of the U.S. Children in South America traditionally receive three gifts from St. Nicholas, reminiscent of the three gifts presented to Jesus in the Biblical Christmas story.
Christmas in America, for most intents and purposes, seems to have pivoted it’s focus from it’s Christian roots and shifted more to a commercial and family-time centered holiday.
