Christmas is the most beloved festival for Christian children as well as their parents. It is celebrated in almost every country of the world. While there are some Christmas images that are unique to certain countries, there is now getting to be a uniformity in how this festival is celebrated all over the world.

The origins of this festival are shrouded in mystery, but it is safe to say that it is an amalgamation of early Christian stories with certain pre Christian myths and traditions. The general consensus is that Father Christmas, also known as St. Nicholas, was a Greek Bishop who lived in the 4th Century in what is now Turkey. He was famous for giving gifts to needy people and it is from this story that the gift giving tradition of Christmas originated. The usual image of St. Nicholas is of a old man in Bishop’s robes and he looks nothing like the jolly and fat Santa Claus of today.

Various countries in Europe have their unique Christmas images which have originated from their particular myths. The European Father Christmas owes a lot to Norse mythology, and it is believed that the story of the reindeer pulling his elves came from there. Children in different European countries celebrate St. Nicholas’ festival on days other than the 25th of December. In Holland and parts of Hungary, Austria and Italy his festival is celebrated on the 6th of December.

The current look of Santa Claus that we are all familiar with was the result of a drawing by an American cartoonist Thomas Nast. This image has turned out to be the most popular and this Christmas image has been adopted almost all over the world. There was a myth that Coca Cola was responsible for his look, but that is wrong.

Christmas has always been a festival predominantly for children. It was the occasion where they could be rewarded for a year of good behavior. However, it was never tinged with the amount of consumerism that it has been with today. Christmas today has lost almost all of its connections with the religious festival that it actually is. This is the day that families splurge on giving gifts to one and all. Christmas has become a celebration of consumerism and Santa Claus has changed his image to keep pace with the times.

Santa Claus has become progressively fatter and more jovial over the ages. There is so expense spared on the type of gifts given to children and to family members on this day. As a matter of fact, there is a lot of pressure on parents to satisfy their children’s needs, which seem to increase every year. The rampant consumerism is very evident if you see the Christmas images over the past century, but it has really become excessive over the past few decades. All you see in pictures are piles of gift wrapped toys and tables groaning with food. Parents are now trying to bring this under control and remind their children about the actual reason for this festival.

Author Bio: I am basically a graduate at the University of Hamburg and you can get awesome articles and valid information from the ones which I submit specially for you to take a look at. Check out Christmas Images, Christmas Graphics or Christmas Pictures.

Category: Entertainment
Keywords: christmas, christmas images, celebration, joy,christmas time, gifts, family