Joy to the World

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2020 not first time Christmas traditions have changed

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  • Sunshot by Michael Hall — Mary looks at baby Jesus during the Living Nativity at Cornerstone Baptist Church on Dec. 10.
    Sunshot by Michael Hall — Mary looks at baby Jesus during the Living Nativity at Cornerstone Baptist Church on Dec. 10.
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With COVID-19, Christmas will be celebrated differently this year, but local pastors encourage people to not forget the true meaning of Christmas.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that people avoid large indoor gatherings and traveling, resulting in many people being unable to celebrate Christmas in the traditional way. Others may be dealing with loved ones who are in the hospital due to COVID or have lost family members already.

COVID may be preventing a traditional Christmas, but this isn’t the first time people have changed the way in which Christmas is celebrated. According to History.com, the way we typically celebrate Christmas today did not begin until within the last 200 years. Washington Irving’s “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.,” And Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” are credited with creating the modern-day celebration of gift giving and family gatherings.

Original winter celebrations date back to the Norse celebrating the Yule, a winter solstice celebration for longer days to come, and the Roman’s celebration of Saturnalia to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture. It wasn’t until the fourth century A.D. when church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday in December, to adopt and absorb the tradition of the Saturnalia festival, it is commonly believed.

During the middle ages, Christians would attend church and then celebrate in a drunken, carnival-like party similar to today’s Mardi Gras celebrations. This rambunctious party would include the crowning of the “lord of misrule” and the poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand food and wine. If the rich did not comply, the poor would terrorize them with mischief.

In the 1600s, many Puritans tried to ban Christmas because of its decadent traditions and many pilgrims in America outlawed the celebration. It wasn’t until the 1800s that Christians began celebrating the family-friendly version of Christmas we know today. It wasn’t declared a federal holiday in the United States until 1870.

With the hardships facing communities this holiday season, local pastors are encouraging people to remember the reason we celebrate Christmas — the birth of Jesus Chist.

“Circumstances change from year to year, moment to moment, but our faith is a constant if we belong to Him. He becomes our refuge during difficult times,” Hartwell First Baptist Church senior pastor Stuart Lang said. “Even in a hard time, we focus on Him.”

Lang said difficult times like these could give us a better appreciation for the Christmas story.

“Not being able to be with family as much as we would like may help us understand a little bit more about what Joseph and Mary went through. They had to travel, were alone and didn’t have the comforts of home that they would have liked to have had and yet it was the most significant event in history at that time. It was very difficult for them, but in the midst of difficulty we find our hope, peace and a savior.”