Christmas
What is Christmas?
Christmas is an annual Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ hence the name Christmas. This holiday is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians worldwide.
When is Christmas?
Christmas is celebrated on December 25, Christmas Day. This was also the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar.
Additionally, many people also celebrate the evening before Christmas, which is called Christmas Eve. The day after Christmas Day, December 26, is called Boxing Day and is a British holiday.
But did you know that Some Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6 and 7 instead?
Celebrating Christmas
Christmas is celebrated in various ways around the world.
Traditionally people will attend church services, midnight mass, and all in all, make Christmas a family holiday.
Plus, a big part of the celebration is the Christmas dinner. Food like roast turkey, pigs in blankets and hearty desserts like mince pies (which are eaten all through December) and Christmas puddings, are fixed features on most Christmas menus.
And let’s not forget Santa Claus, maybe one of the most important parts of Christmas, especially for kids. Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, brings gifts to your house on Christmas Eve. He piles everything on his sleigh and rides across the sky with his reindeers to deliver your gifts to you.
Christmas is not only a very festive holiday, it can be very busy too as there are more gatherings than just the Christmas dinner. Other traditions include putting up and deco-rating the Christmas tree, singing carols and listening to Christmas songs, and of course exchanging gifts.
Giving gifts during the holidays and the amount of money spent is different for everyone. However, one Christmas tradition that many people celebrate is Secret Santa.
Some people also celebrate Christmas in July. The event is centered around Christmas-themed activities with the goal of getting in the spirit of Christmas during July. Christmas in July does not replace Christmas in December, but is enjoyed as an extra celebration.
What is Secret Santa?
Exchanging gifts and having fun is what Secret Santa is all about! Secret Santa involves drawing names from a hat and secretly buying a gift for the person whose name you’ve drawn.
Secret Santa is an excellent formula for time filled with fun, laughter and happiness. There’s always the anticipation of “who will be my Secret Santa?”, which is always a fun surprise!
And did you know that Secret Santa originates from early Christmas traditions? The original ‘Secret Santas’ were the gift-bearing helpers of St. Nick.
You can read more about the different forms of Secret Santa in this blog. For more Secret Santa inspiration and Secret Santa gift ideas be sure to check out these Secret Santa Ideas.
You can even set up a Secret Santa gift exchange without email on the drawnames Secret Santa App.