Is Christmas Turning Into a ‘Hallmark’ Holiday?

Currently, at AISG, we have all been getting ready for the winter holidays and final exams. Many of our heads are most likely either on break already, or worrying about finals, but there is no doubt that we are all ready to get the break up and rolling. Recently, I was speaking to one of the seniors and mentioned that as an American/Russian, Christmas has always been one of the biggest holidays looked forward too. As someone from Hong Kong, my friend mentioned the opposite about his country and complained that he finds it “dumb” that so many Chinese people are taking pictures in front of the Christmas trees at Parc Central when Christmas isn’t celebrated in China. This got me thinking: is Christmas turning into a “Hallmark Holiday”? Is it just a means of advertising and a way for businesses to make a profit?

In the Russian culture, we have always gone to mass on Christmas Eve and Morning in order to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many of my friends don’t go to mass and are absorbed by the many presents they are to buy their friends, family and loved ones. Why has Christmas become less about celebrating the religious component of this holiday and more about purchasing presents and giving them to people? Although I do give gifts to people myself, I have found that when walking around the US and even China, the majority of what I see is people spending money on taking photos with Santa, waiting for Starbucks to release its annual Christmas cup and investing into items that don’t have any relevance to the holiday itself. This got me curious for the opinions of students and teachers at AISG. Even for those who are not religious, why has Christmas become about presents and gift giving and receiving?

Dylan C, a senior, mentioned that “Christmas is not religious nowadays” and is more of an “excuse to have fun.” He also mentioned that it is becoming “economically beneficial” for many businesses, as people are purchasing his goods. This is something that I agree with as well, and find that this is exceptionally common in the US.

I also spoke to one of the Korean girls at AISG, Selina K. She mentioned that her family is Buddhist; however, they still celebrate Christmas and have a family dinner. In Korea, Christmas is considered a national holiday; as opposed to in China, where there is no official holiday for the celebration. Selina found it interesting that China doesn’t have a national religion yet still celebrates Christmas. Stanley W. agreed with Selina and he mentioned that “Malls profit off of this celebration.” Agreeing with Stanley, I find it especially interesting that in Asia, malls are such an integral part of the culture as Asia is so globalized and therefore Christmas is such a large deal.

I believe that if religious, it is important to embrace both the religious and festive aspect of Christmas, as opposed to making the holidays about only spending and gifts. Let me know down in the comments what YOU think!