It’s almost Christmas!. The Christmas tree, mistletoe, candy cane, knick knacks of santa, colorful light and many other christmas decoration has mounted everywhere. The word Christmas is derived from the Old English, Christmas is ‘Cristes Mæsse’ meaning the ‘mass of Christ’. On December 25, Christians around the world will gather to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Joyful carols, special liturgies, brightly wrapped gifts, festive foods—these all characterize the feast today, at least in the northern hemisphere. But just how did the Christmas festival originate? How did December 25 come to be associated with Jesus’ birthday? The Bible offers few clues: Celebrations of Jesus’ Nativity are not mentioned in the Gospels or Acts; the date is not given, not even the time of year. The dates that we use now were set by Monks and religious leaders in the Middle Ages and before.
And how about santa? The big man that very kind with white beard,red suit, large sacks and train ride reindeer, who give all the good children gift in the Christmas night by entering the chimney?
The old stories of kindness from St. Nicholas, became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!. St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century AD in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. That’s the story behind Christmas. In the end, December is the month all the people rejoice, either you are a Christian or not. We all must respect each other and end this year with grateful and rejoice to greet the new year. Happy season greetings and happy holiday!