SWAJ Rewind: It's In the Code, Ep 30: Who Owns Christmas?
Dec 25, 2024
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Who truly owns Christmas? The discussion dives into the cultural ownership of the holiday, challenging the idea that it's solely a Christian event. As Christmas evolved into a mainstream celebration, American Christians may no longer dictate its meaning or observance. The complexities of communication and misinterpretation in cultural contexts are examined, shedding light on personal anecdotes that reveal how messages often shift over time. Ironically, those who popularized the holiday now feel distanced from it.
American Christians have contributed to Christmas becoming a mainstream cultural celebration, losing their exclusive claim over its meaning and observance.
The evolution of Christmas into a public holiday illustrates how cultural artifacts can shift away from their original religious significance through broader interpretations.
Deep dives
The Ownership of Christmas
The concept of who owns Christmas is examined, challenging the notion that it solely belongs to Christians. The narrative surrounding the so-called 'war on Christmas' implies that Christians have the exclusive right to define the holiday's meaning. However, this perspective overlooks the fact that Christmas has evolved into a broader cultural phenomenon that encompasses diverse interpretations and celebrations beyond its religious roots. As Christmas was integrated into mainstream American culture, it transitioned from a strictly religious observance to a public holiday accessible to all.
Cultural Miscommunication
The podcast draws on the postal principle, a concept developed by philosopher Jacques Derrida, to illustrate how communication can break down when ideas are shared. Just as miscommunication can occur with letters or digital messages, cultural artifacts lose their original meaning once they enter public discourse. This phenomenon applies to Christmas; the holiday's transformation into a mainstream celebration means that its interpretations can be varied and often disconnected from its religious origins. Consequently, those who wish to dictate the meaning of Christmas may find their understanding at odds with how the broader culture chooses to celebrate it.
Mainstreaming and Its Consequences
The mainstreaming of Christmas by American Christians has led to a loss of control over its cultural significance. By pushing for Christmas to become a recognized part of American culture, Christians inadvertently allowed it to be redefined and celebrated by people of various beliefs or none at all. This shift is evident in the commercialized nature of modern Christmas celebrations, which focus on gift-giving and familial gatherings rather than its religious connotations. As a result, calls to 'remember the reason for the season' now serve as a reaction to a reality that Christians themselves helped create, marking a shift towards a more pluralistic and secular interpretation of the holiday.
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Who “owns” Christmas? When Christians tell non-Christians that they need to “remember the reason for the season,” or accuse them of engaging in a “war on Christmas,” do they have a right to do so? Is Christmas “theirs” just because it originated as a Christian religious holiday? In this episode, Dan argues that American Christians made Christmas a mainstream part of American culture, a dimension of general Americana, and that as a result they no longer have a claim on the holiday or the right to dictate to others how it should be observed (or not).