What are the signs which point to Christmas coming?
In every culture there are different visuals which alert us to the coming of this holiday season.
When I first moved to South Africa, Christmas snuck up on me because I did not see the normal American signs. Once I learned the new signs, I could anticipate its approach.
Here are a few signs which pop up in virtually any culture.
1. Things appear. Things which are unable to be found for most of the year, begin to appear around Christmas. Certain music, different types of food, and of course decorations. It is the time of year some people appear in church for the first time all year! Each nation is different, but all have things which appear.
2. Gifts. Some are large, some small, many spread over multiple days. But Christmas seems to universally include gifts. Children line up to meet Santa Claus or Father Christmas and make their requests known, provided they have been more nice than naughty.
3. Wrapping. More than any of other holiday or celebrate, gifts are wrapped in elaborate packaging. A quick google search reveals this to be a huge industry, netting 2.6 billion USD per year. Some estimate the amount of paper thrown away could encircle the globe over 9 times! (226,800 miles of discarded paper)
These are all signs Christmas is nearly upon us.
But these are not the true reality of Christmas, yet they can point us to what Christmas is all about.
Join us at A Life Overseas to see what these signs point towards and discuss the signs of Christmas in multiple cultures.
Merry Christmas!