This is becoming an increasing secular world in which we live. I’m not here to debate religion because the holiday season means many things to many different people. But Christmas is named after Christ so, if not for him (or the story of him), we would have no season of giving or gestures of peace on earth and good will toward men.
For the 2.1 billion Christians out there who acknowledge this holiday and the sacred event of Christ’s birth, it is a time of great joy. For them, celebrating the birth of the Son of God is the priority of Christmas. Santa Claus, presents, Christmas trees and all that other fun stuff is secondary to the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of a savior.
Christian children learn the story of the birth of Jesus from the youngest age at home then in church or Sunday school. An important tradition in many churches and religious schools is the annual performance of a Christmas Pageant. In a Christmas pageant, children, and sometimes adults too, dress up in costume as Mary, Joseph and the three wise men as well as angels, shepherds and other spectators. The more special pageants even incorporate real animals into a living Nativity.