BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! It’s Christmas morning and the alarm goes off. Time to get up and go open the presents that Mom and Dad spent a fortune on. Of course, that’s fun, but is that really what Christmas is about? So many people celebrate holidays, Christmas and others, for things they’re not meant to be.
Most holidays are rooted in religion, which isn’t seen much in America anymore. In the last couple of decades especially, a plethora of religions have lost participating members. Some may argue that it has to do with people coming through to reality or the restrictions of sexuality in religion and such, but some do not push those beliefs. According to Pew Research Center, “The percentage of people belonging to some form of Christianity decreased from 52.2% in the 2016 Census to 43.9% in the 2021 Census. Meanwhile, those declaring that they had no religion increased from 30% in the 2016 Census to 38.9% in the 2021 Census.” So, while members of religions, specifically Christianity, are going down, why is everyone still celebrating these religious holidays like their lives depend on it? We like to feel “festive,” but individuals can decorate with items that don’t represent something they don’t even believe in. Some of the most atheist people are the ones that show their love for “Christmas time” the most. Winter and Christmas are two different things. Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus. Just because someone likes winter and the holiday spirit doesn’t mean they have to get presents and such and sing Christmas songs like it’s their religion, because it’s not.
Another big reason why people celebrate this so much is because stores love the profit. Advertising during the holiday months brings in a massive amount of income for corporations. According to KSLTV, although Christmas time is only about two months, “half of all small businesses earn at least a quarter of their annual sales during the holiday season alone.” On Black Friday, I spent $75 on Christmas decorations at Hobby Lobby because they had them 50% off to make me feel like I was getting a better deal. Do I celebrate Christmas? No, but I love the feeling of festivity everyone else does.
Two holidays that Christians celebrate are Christmas and Easter. According to Wharton Women, Americans spend, on average, $826 individually during the holiday season, and $500 of that is for presents. Presents that will most likely later end up in the landfill, if we’re all being honest. Easter is another religious holiday that is celebrated by pretty much everyone in the United States, and some other countries, even if they don’t believe in Christianity. First of all, why are there creatures coming into our houses at night? Who decided that a bunny and a giant man are supposed to be in our homes on the holidays? Everyone loves a good easter egg hunt, but why is everyone celebrating this holiday this way when that has nothing to do with Jesus being born or coming back to life?
Overall, holidays are taken about 17 steps too far nowadays. Spending a fortune on presents and other festivities on a holiday most people don’t believe in anymore is just odd to me. People could save that money and spend it on things that are actually worthwhile (like lots of dogs).
