Christmas Stories

Christmas means ‘the Mass of Jesus Christ’ and is a traditional holiday that is celebrated on December 25th. Most Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, which is believed to have occurred in the Roman Province of Bethlehem between 6 BC and AD 6. Christ’s birth, is said by his followers, to serve the purpose of redeeming the world from sin.

Though for the most part Christians believe in the concept of original sin, it has been argued by many theologians and other scholars that Jesus and other prophets and disciples were only describing their own mystical experiences. It is said that the Christian religion has taken many of these teachings too literally, instead of viewing the words of Jesus as advice for us each to seek our own personal mystical experiences.

Christmas has acquired many secular aspects and characteristics, which are often celebrated more than the birth of Jesus. Many Christian Christmas traditions actually came from pre-Christian observances and celebrations that were then syncretised into Christianity. For example, Winter Solstice and Yuletide celebrations of countless older civilizations and religions became Christmas for much of the world.

No matter an individual’s religion, many Christmas stories exemplify tales and/or teachings that are enjoyable for everyone. Some old Christmas stories include ‘And It Came To Pass’, ‘The Christmas Gift’, The Birthday Story’, and ‘The Baby Speaks’. Many of these date back to the fourth century and have been modified to become some of the Christmas stories that we are more familiar with today.

Santa Claus is a popular figure in Christmas stories. Santa Claus has been called many different names throughout the years and across different cultures and languages. Santa Claus is a folk hero in several different cultures who gives out presents to children on Christmas Eve. Before he was known as Santa Claus, in many countries the name of this Christmas hero was Father Christmas. In Italy, Portugal, Brazil and Germany, for example, using the name ‘Santa Claus’ in place of ‘Father Christmas’ may be considered an Americanization.

The term ‘Santa Claus’ comes from a European folktale where this character was named Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas gave gifts to the poor. This mythical figure is the center of many Christmas celebrations in Europe.

Santa Claus has also played prominent roles in many Christmas stories that have been brought to the big screen. In 1897 the earliest film showed Santa Claus simply filling up children’s’ stockings. There were several films surrounding visits from Santa Claus made during the latter 1800s and early 1900s.

Popular themes for modern Santa Claus Christmas stories are Santa as a hero or plotlines where the existence of Santa Claus is doubted or questioned. The first comedy movie that featured Santa Claus as a hero was made in 1959 and entitled ‘Santa Claus’. In this irreverent movie Santa Claus teams up with Merlin, the magician, to battle the Devil who has been attempting to trap Santa Claus. A popular Christmas story movie that deals with unique imagery is ‘Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas’.

Santa Claus forms an important portion of Christmas celebrations around the world. From Japan to Europe and North America, there is some form of this Christmas or Winter Solstice winter mythical character. Many popular Christmas stories involve Santa Claus, such as ‘T’was the Night Before Christmas’.

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