Santa Clause

Santa is one of the most iconic and recognizable figures for most people who celebrate Christmas today. Santa Claus or Father Christmas stems from the holiday season where the exchange of gifts is very important to many people. He has many names depending on what part of the world you are considering and some of the gifts that are given are said to come from Santa. Some of his other notable names are Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas or St. Nikolaus, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Père Noël, Babbo Natale, Weihnachtsmann, Saint Basil and Father Frost. He is celebrated in many languages and many cultures all over the world and has different appearances and histories in each place to adapt him to the cultural differences that are the most pronounces and most important to each country.

Most people will recognize the appearance of Santa Claus because of the standardization of his image by and artist named Thomas Nast. He began creating images of Santa in the mid-1800s and continued drawing a new image each year. Father Christmas predates the actual name of Santa Claus and was first mentioned in the 15th century. He used to be associated with merrymaking and drunkenness but his image evolved over time to become who he is today. Other figures, like France's Père Noël, have seen similar transformations over the years. He is traditionally married to Mrs. Claus and has elves working for him to be able to bring gifts to all the children in the world. Many people around the world still use the guise of Santa Claus and his foreign counterparts to give gifts, but some people are abandoning this practice saying that it is deceptive and teaches principles they don't want their children to learn.

The Christmas tree and other decorations

The Christmas tree is a symbol for Christians and represents Christmas in many different ways. Some say that is comes from a pagan tradition revolving around the winter solstice that involved the use of evergreen trees and is adapted from pagan tree worship. The modern tradition of the Christmas tree is believed to have begun in Germany in the 1700's, but some say that Martin Luther began the tradition almost a century earlier. It was introduced to England by Queen Charlotte who was the wife of George III. It also became a tradition in the United States about the same time. The Tree is traditionally decorated with lights and ornaments. They used to be covered with candles that would be lit and give light to the tree inside, but these have been replaced by safer electric lights since. Modern Christmas trees often incorporate themes and are decorated very lavishly.

The poinsettia is also a very popular symbol of Christmas and the holiday season. It's red and green leaves are the traditional colors of Christmas and many people believe that they have special properties together. Other plants like holly, mistletoe, amaryllis and Christmas cactus are also popular Christmas plants. Homes are decorates with these plants and sometimes with garlands and evergreen foliage as well. It is also a tradition in many places to decorate the outside of the house with lights and other decorations that commemorate the Christmas and holiday season. Some neighborhoods and cities sponsor lighting competitions and award the most extravagantly decorated homes with recognition or monetary awards. People go to extremes to decorate their homes for the Christmas season. Brightly colored wrapping paper has also become a tradition in the Western culture for decorating the gifts that are given at Christmas. Some other decorations that people use are bells, candles, stockings, pinecones, wreaths, angels, and candy canes. Each of these has a different symbolic value and representation. Traditionally, Christmas decorations are taken down the twelfth night after Christmas or on January 5th (although some people have a tendency to leave them up much longer into the spring and summer months).

Christmas and economics

Christmas is a very important time of year for businesses in Western cultures. It is the largest economic stimulus for many countries all year and they depend on it for stability and continued prosperity. Sales increase sharply in almost all retail establishments and areas and new businesses are formed just to take advantage of the money that is spent on giving gifts at Christmastime. Many businesses and companies introduce new products and release the most important new items because they will likely be more successful and popular during this season. In the U.S. the Christmas shopping season begins on what is called black Friday, which is the Day after Thanksgiving and many stores have the best sales all year on this day to get people in the door and to spend money at their establishment. But many stores begin selling decorations and gifts much earlier in the year, sometimes right after the summer holidays. In most places, Christmas day is the least active day all year for purchasing because people want to stay at home and spend time with family. Christmas is a very important time for other businesses like the film industry and many studios release some of their biggest films during the season, sometimes after Thanksgiving. In the eyes of many economists, the Christmas season is the most important time of year for businesses and they will make as much as 75% of their annual revenues during the holiday season. Christmas sales often determine if a business will be able to endure the rest of the year and remain in business.

The holiday shopping season has been extended in a clever effort by many stores and sales now go into the middle or end of January. The offer "so you didn't really get what you wanted for Christmas" sales and ideas spurring many people to spend even more after the hype and excitement of Christmas is over and people have returned to normal schedules. They also entice people to spend the gift cards that they got for Christmas and to buy accessories for other items that they received for Christmas gifts. January sales are not clearance sales so much any more but also include winter close-out sales and follow up sales to Christmas giving. Some say that the January shopping season is just as important as December and is even a continuation of the Christmas shopping season. In the 2004-2005 season it was said that January sales matched those in December. So the holiday season is getting longer and is becoming more important to the success of businesses all over the world.

Many people are concerned about the commercialization of Christmas and are concerned that it is becoming more important to many people to give the most expensive gifts rather than to have fun and enjoy the company of family and friends. Some are concerned about the drama that is associated with Black Friday sales and the serious fights that have resulted in injuries and even deaths. Some also argue that children are more concerned about receiving the coolest gift whether they really want it or would actually even use it. Many are distressed by the replacement of Christmas with X-mas that replaces the very important underlying theme of Christ in the holiday season.