While I was growing up, I understood the true meaning behind Christmas because I was raised in a family that believed in Jesus. Every year, we go to church the day before Christmas and we pray at Christmas dinner. However, nowadays Christmas is just a trend. It happens every year and people buy presents, put up lights, and sing songs but don’t fully understand what all these things represent.

Surprisingly, many children today do not know the real meaning behind Christmas. Last year, I nannied a few kids. Christmas was just around the corner and they were constantly talking about it. It was incredible how much they knew about Santa and presents, yet when I asked them why we celebrate it they did not know it was Jesus’ birthday. They didn’t even know who Jesus was.

Christmas is a holiday based on Jesus Christ and it hit home for me when the kids talked so much about Christmas yet they did not know anything about it. However, children are not the only ones who overlook the meaning of Christmas. Many adults surprisingly do not know much about the meaning, either. Many adults are too stressed out with the idea of buying presents to even worry about the true reason why we celebrate. That said, Christmas is way too over-commercialized. Christmas presents, lights, cookies, tinsel, music, and other things would not be present today without the birth of Jesus Christ.

It hurts my heart to see people drift through the holidays without realizing the true reason why they are celebrating. It is even more difficult now that it is politically incorrect to say “Merry Christmas” to anyone. It may just be me, but if someone was proclaiming their holiday to me I would not be offended. Like for example, if someone told me “Happy Hanukkah,” I wouldn’t be mad; it is their religion and they celebrate it, so they have the freedom to celebrate on their day and be happy. If that means telling others “Happy Hanukkah” then so be it. We have the right to our religion.

“Merry Christmas” should not be politically incorrect. Saying “Happy Holidays” is very similar to declaring “Merry Christmas.” Since the word Christmas is not used, though, many people just assume it is another holiday. Christmas is meaningless when it is replaced with the word “holiday.” But if people celebrate Christmas as a holiday, they should be able to know and be educated about what they are celebrating. It just makes sense.

Being a part of Christmas is so much fun and I understand why people celebrate it. However, it is almost like going to someone’s birthday party you don’t know or weren’t invited to. You go for the birthday cake and the activities, but you do not go to celebrate that person’s birthday. Not many people that I know would do that because it is rude. However, same goes for Jesus. It is Jesus’ birthday and if you do not know him or know who he is, then why do you get to celebrate too?

Christmas is a special holiday. It is not about the presents. It is not about the cookies for Santa. It is not about the Christmas lights in everyone’s front yard. While all those things are fun and enjoyable, Christmas is

so much more than that. It is about Jesus, and that should come first before anything else.