Why Do Non-christians Celebrate Christmas?

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ even though December 25 is not the actual date when Jesus was born. It has however become a major festival in the Christian calendar and is celebrated worldwide, even among people who have no belief in Christianity including many who are connected to Christian churches but never attend. Why do so many who don’t believe in Christ, faithfully celebrate Christmas every year? Well there can be a variety of reasons for this and you will observe this when you look around your own community.

CELEBRATED BY JEWS

How ironic that we find Jewish people celebrating a festival based on the birth of Jesus when as a people, they are still awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. The hard fact is that for many people, Christmas is not a religious festival, but is actually a business opportunity. A Jewish person who does not believe in the Christian Messiah will no doubt take advantage of the fact that people within his community have money to spend and gifts to buy and will therefore put on a public display of getting into the Christmas spirit.

While this person may not celebrate with their families privately, they can see that Christmas is too good an opportunity to miss from a financial standpoint. Regardless of theri views about Christmas, its origins and symbolisms, he will see the potential for increasing profits as the majority of people around him celebrate Christmas and are willing to spend a lot of money doing so.

MUSLIM PEOPLE TOO

It is not unusual to see Muslim families with Christmas trees in the window, suggesting they too are getting into the spirit of Christmas. While Muslims do accept that Jesus is a prophet, they are by no means Christian in their own religious beliefs. many will celebrate Christmas in order to mingle with the community which may also include activities for their children in school.

There is of course also the prospect of making financial profit for those who operate a business. Many now simply take the view that Christmas is no longer a religious celebration and therefore can viewed in any way that fits your personal view. If someone wants to sing carols, they can but if they simply want to have a family party with no religious connotations, so be it.

In reality, whatever the true origins of Christmas, it has in recent years become no more than a money spinner with many businesses totally dependent on the revenue this brings in. No matter what a person’s personal religious beliefs may be, many have simply adopted the view that the basis for Christmas is unimportant. This is why many non-Chritians will celebrate it just to be part of the community or as ameans to increase business profits. Talk to the older generation and they will tell you that Christmas has changed beyond all recognition and is no longer a celebration that draws attention to the supposed reason behind it.