Christmas Celebrations in the USA,New York City, Philippines The first Christmas observance in what is now the United States was celebrated in an authentic Spanish style. Hernando de Soto and his army set up their winter camp in the present day city of Tallahassee, Florida in 1539. Since that time, the holiday traditions of nearly every nation on earth have moved into, around, and across the U.S.
Every ethnic group has its place in our society, and they bring their own traditions for December celebrations. In addition, the diversity in our climate helps to set the stage for various types of festivities ranging from a picnic on the (beach at Waikiki) or Key West to candles in a window during the twilight of a cold day in Alaska.
For many of us, our children no longer have to wait for luxury items or experiences once a year. Long gone are the post-war years when one toy and a piece of fruit in a Christmas stocking were met with excitement and anticipation. It seems that for many of us, we do not know exactly why we feel driven to respond to the social and cultural expectations regarding Christmas and for people in western society, this usually means elevated consumer spending. Many of us don't even question whether we can afford to spend in ways we do or whether we want to spend our precious limited time pretending to enjoy time with those we might prefer not to. As psychologists, counselors and marriage guidance bureaus testify, January is a busier month in their diaries following a Christmas that failed to meet unquestioned expectations, to which we were unable to say no.But what is Christmas really all about? It seems that we have a tremendous urge for ritual in our lives. Collectively recognised and honoured traditions allow us to stave off an existential angst of questioning what our existence is really all about. Those who dare to take responsibility for their reactions to Christmas and other social and cultural events, knowing that life is an unfixed reality, are those who seem to have a greater potential to create a life of meaning and purpose. This has nothing to do with celebrating Christmas in socially sanctioned ways. It is to do with an open-minded awareness of the unquestioned myths surrounding Christmas and our choices in responding to it with choice and responsibility, not duty and obligation.There is some debate about when and how the evergreen tree first became associated with Christianity. Some historians tell us that a monk named Boniface happened upon a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree in the woods (and possibly also performing animal and human sacrifices there). Boniface was angered by this, and he cut the oak tree down. As the legend goes, an evergreen tree sprang up where the oak had been. Some historians claim it happened in Riga, Latvia. However, some others argue that this occurred in Germany, which might make more sense given that Boniface was a German monk.
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