The
Significance
of Christmas Eve
The day before Christmas is one that is filled with
a mixture of anxiety
and anticipation. There's anxiety at putting all the
final plans and finishing decoration touches in place
and getting all the necessary shopping done. There's
also much anticipation about all the merriment and
excitement of Christmas day.
Children are usually hardly able to control
themselves as they think about the Christmas gifts
they hope to get the next day. They may try to stay
up through the night to catch Santa Claus, or they
may just be too excited to sleep.
Christmas Eve is also important for the simple
reason that in ancient
custom, and among some cultures today, a holiday or
other celebrated day really starts from sundown of
the day before the actual day that is celebrated.
Therefore, festivities and observances for Christmas
Day would really begin on Christmas Eve.One of the
most significant aspects of Christmas Eve however,
is related
to religion. Attending Midnight Mass or earlier
church services is mandatory for many people whose
religion is Christianity. This is so even for people
who aren't regular churchgoers during the year.
Evidence of the importance of these church services
can be seen in the overflow of congregations at the
churches.
Many churches will also have an added service
earlier in the evening to
accommodate the above normal attendance, and also
for individuals like the elderly who would prefer a
service that is earlier than Midnight Mass.
Another important aspect of Christmas Eve
celebrations is related to
retail operations. On the day before Christmas,
stores make a last ditch effort to push sales of
Christmas and other merchandise. There often are
special promotions last-minute advertised to
capitalize on late, desperate Christmas shoppers and
other impulse buyers. This last effort is also aimed
at increasing sales for the Christmas period.
Some stores will remain open late, even up to
midnight or just before
midnight. Macy's department store in New York City,
which bills that particular store branch as the
world's largest, stayed open until midnight on
Christmas Eve of 1867 for the first time. Christmas
Eve culminates the single biggest shopping season,
which started the day after Thanksgiving, for
retailers.
Christmas Eve is also important for the traditions
associated with it. It
is the night when parents have to play the role of
Santa Claus and sneak toys and other Christmas gifts
under the Christmas tree to the absolute delight and
surprise of children who awake on Christmas morning
to find the presents.
The idea of Santa Claus coming descending chimneys
on Christmas Eve to leave gifts for good boys and
girls was made popular by a poem, attributed to
Clement Clarke Moore. In that poem titled 'An
Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas, ' which Moore
wrote in 1822 and which is now popularly known as 'Twas
the Night Before Christmas,' Moore described Santa
Claus as 'a right jolly old elf' who went from house
to house with his sleigh pulled by reindeers flying
through the
air to deliver Christmas presents to all the girls
and boys who had been well behaved.
Food plays a big role in making Christmas Day
special and much of its
preparation often begins on Christmas Eve. Poultry
and other meats are often prepared by letting them
stand in a mixture of various herbs and spices,
puddings and pies are baked on Christmas Eve, as
well as a fresh batch of gingerbread and other
cookies and treats.
The scents and flurry of activity related to all
these preparations also help to make Christmas Eve a
memorable day on its own.