Opening Up Some Common Christmas Myths, Part II
Christmas is all about tradition, but some popular holiday beliefs and practices are more Christmas myths than reality. Like these, for example.
In Part I of this article about Christmas myths, we offered the straight skinny on the fat man and several other Christmas traditions that aren't so traditional. For example, there's the idea that Christmas was always a big holiday here in the States, and the concept that Christmas trees have a long history here, too.
The truth is, these traditions are less than two hundred years old. Some, like Christmas trees, are much younger. In this shocking conclusion to our Christmas issue, we'll take a look at a few more traditions that are more mythical (and/or recent) than most of us might believe.
Myth 5: It just isn't Christmas without Christmas cards.
Well...different strokes, as they say, but really, this is pure Christmas myth. Prior to the Victorian Era, the few people who actually celebrated Christmas definitely wouldn't have agreed with you. Before then, most people didn't bother with Christmas cards, though they did exist.
Y'know, that old tradition might be worth bringing back. With the Internet and phone to keep us in contact, who needs the pain of dealing with Christmas cards? Ah, who are we kidding? This is a Christmas tradition we all enjoy giving and receiving.
Myth 6: Jesus was born on December 25. I know that much is true.
Actually, there's no evidence for this, and plenty against it. What shepherd watches his flocks by night in late December, even in the Middle East? You certainly won't find Christ's birthdate written in Scripture anywhere. You won't find any mentions that He was born in the Year 1, either. Go ahead, check. We'll wait.
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Welcome back! Okay, now, where did that myth come from? Apparently, as the new religion based on Christ's life and teachings grew, other winter solstice celebrations and traditions were drawn together. The most obvious conflation was with Mithraism, an offshoot of Zoroastrianism.
Traditionally, December 25 was associated with Mithra, the Persian god of the sun, war, justice, and contracts. (Not the giant bug from the Japanese monster movies. That was Mothra). Somehow, it's become accepted that Christ's birthday was December 25 -- but that's almost as much of a Christmas myth as Santa.
Myth 7: "Xmas" is offensive because it leaves out the most important part -- Christ.
Only if you don't realize that "X" has always been a symbol for Christ -- it's a representation of the cross, get it? Back in Roman times, it was a clandestine mark left by downtrodden Christians as a symbol of solidarity with their hidden brethren. If you saw an X scrawled on a wall, you knew you weren't alone.
Here's another good reason this is a Christmas myth. Some scholars point out that in Greek, Christ is spelled Xhristos. So here again, the X in Xmas refers to Christ. In other words, Xmas isn't necessarily just a handy abbreviation for Christmas, although it's often used that way.
Myth 8: Commercialism has ruined Christmas!
It seems that way sometimes, but it can be argued otherwise, particularly if you really understand the history of Christmas in America (as we pointed out in Part I of this article). Before the commercial interests got ahold of the holiday, it wasn't much -- even Valentine's Day was more important.
Merchandizing has quite literally made Christmas what it is today. When businesses and advertisers realized the holiday's potential, they took it and raised its profile so high that that it's now the most important holiday in America. How's that for standing some Christmas myths on its head?
