“Christmas is the birth of Jesus and being around people who mean the most to you,” said Lucas Brim, exercise science major at University of North Carolina Pembroke (UNCP).
Christmas, just like Thanksgiving, is a time of giving and bringing family together. It’s that special time of the year where all of your family rekindles and spends the day together.
Every Christmas my family makes plans on where everyone will spend the day, which is usually my house or my grandmother’s. We do secret Santa, as well, but we separate the children from the adults and we give everyone a price range for the gifts.
Around Thanksgiving is when we begin our Christmas plans, and we create menus for what we plan to make for dinner. Everyone has to contribute by bringing a dish of their choice. We have a Christmas tree every year because my mom and little brother love decorating for Christmas. Sometimes my family will play games or have competitions, but mainly they’re watching football and playing Christmas music all day long.
You enjoy old memories, take family photos and catch up on events that have occurred in your families’ lives, mainly the ones you don’t see much. “Christmas is a time of giving and helping the less fortunate,” said Shenetta O’Neal, nursing major at University of District of Columbia (UDC). “It’s also a time of love that you share with your family.”
Have you ever thought about how Christmas was originated? According to dictionary.com, Christmas is the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus, celebrated on Dec. 25, and now generally observes as a legal holiday and an occasion for exchanging gifts.
“I believe Christmas is a time where you show appreciation to the ones you love, sing Christmas carols, drink hot chocolate and just enjoying the time you’re spending with your family,” said Calvin Johnson, a local tattoo artist in Washington, D.C. Christmas is a time where you share laughs and love with your family, more so just being happy that everyone has come together.
“I don’t attend to church because it’s not something I’m fond of and I don’t have much time for it due to my busy schedule,” said O’Neal. Most people go to church as a family around Christmas time, which brings them together more.
“My whole family attends church every Christmas,” said Brim. “It’s basically a yearly tradition that we have.”
“I don’t always attend church around Christmas time, but when I do it’s a joyful and relaxing experience because my life can get pretty stressful at times,” said Dayvon Broady, business management major at UDC.
Not only does Christmas have similar meanings to people, but they also have traditions or yearly routines; one routine being getting a Christmas tree and decorating it together.
“We don’t really have a set tradition, but every year all of my family goes to my grandma’s house,” said Christian Peoples, a student at Calhoun Community College in Alabama (CCCA). “We usually just play games and sing together and we definitely put up a tree every year. My cousins and I decorate it.”
“Sadly we don’t have any Christmas traditions, but we usually go to different family members houses and share gifts,” said exercise science major Derrick Wheatley from Tiffin University(TU) in Ohio. “We usually get a fake tree and reuse it every year until it gets worn out or we won’t get one at all.”
When you think about it, everyone has the same outlook on what Christmas means and everyone celebrates it similarly. Everyone feels as though Christmas is spending time with your family and having fun being surrounded by your loved ones. It’s pretty clear that everyone loves to receive gifts on Christmas and there’s some that love to see people’s faces when they’re opening gifts they’ve given them. Everyone has their ups and downs throughout the year, but Christmas time always turns it around bring everyone together spreading joy and laughter.
“Christmas means getting and giving gifts from friends and family. Although I don’t always like spending Christmas with my family, I do enjoy the feeling of knowing you were important enough for someone to give you a gift,” said Seton Hill University (SHU) computer science major Ashley Myers.
“Christmas for my family has always been a time for us to take a breath and be together,” said Deshaun Herzog, humans resources major at SHU. “Our lives are crazy, chaotic and we have had our strings of bad luck, but Christmas has always reminded us that in the end, everything will be okay.”
Published By: Paige Parise