Christmas
Christmas (from the Latin nativitas, "birth") is one of the most important Christian festivities, along with Easter and Pentecost. This solemnity, which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, is celebrated on December 25 in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, some Protestant communities and most Orthodox Churches.
On the other hand, it is celebrated on January 6 or January 7 in other Orthodox Churches such as the Russian Orthodox Church or the Jerusalem Orthodox Church (January 6) or the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (January 7), institutions that they did not accept the reform made to the Julian calendar to move to the calendar known as the Gregorian, a name derived from its reformer, Pope Gregory XIII. December 25 is a holiday in many countries celebrated by millions of people around the world and also by a large number of non-Christians.
Christmas begins a liturgical season called Christmas time, which ends with the solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. Colloquially, the period that begins with Christmas and ends with the Epiphany of the Lord is also known as Easter.
There are several theories about how Christmas came to be celebrated on December 25, which arise from various ways of investigating, according to some known data, on what date Jesus would have been born.
Etymology
The term "Christmas" comes from the Late Latin nativĭtas, which means birth. English speakers use the term Christmas, whose meaning is 'mass (mass) of Christ'. In some Germanic languages, such as German, the holiday is called Weihnachten, which means 'consecrated night(s)'. The Christmas festivities are intended, as the name suggests, to celebrate the Nativity (that is, the birth) of Jesus of Nazareth.
Origins of Christmas
Although the exact date of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth is not recorded in either the Old Testament or the New Testament (Bible), December 25 has been significant in ancient peoples who celebrated during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere (since December 21). The adoption of that date took place centuries later, beginning with the testimony of Sextus Julius Africanus in the year 221 about the date of birth in Judea and the philocalian liturgical calendar of 354 after Christ.
Calculating the date of Christmas according to the Gospels
Some experts have attempted to calculate the date of Jesus' birth using the Bible as a source. In Luke it is stated that at the time of the conception of John the Baptist, his father Zacharias, a priest of the group of Obadiah, officiated in the Temple of Jerusalem and, according to Luke, Jesus was born approximately six months after John. Chronicles indicates that there were 24 groups of priests who served in turns in the temple and Obadiah's group had the eighth shift. Counting the shifts from the beginning of the year, Obadiah's group was assigned to serve at the beginning of June (from the 8th to the 14th of the third month of the Hebrew lunar calendar). Following this hypothesis, if Elizabeth and Mary's pregnancies were normal, John was born in March and Jesus in September. This date would be compatible with the indication in the Bible, according to which on the night of Jesus' birth the shepherds tended the flocks outdoors, which could hardly have happened in December. Any calculation about the birth of Jesus must be adjusted to this primary source, so the correct date must be between September and October, early autumn. In addition, the census ordered by Caesar at the time of the birth of the Son of God must be taken into account, which obviously could not have been in December, a time of intense cold in Jerusalem, the reason being that the Jewish people were prone to rebellion and it would have been unwise to order a census at that time of year.
Since the shifts were weekly, as confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran, each group served twice a year and Obadiah's group again took turns at the end of September (24-30 of the eighth Jewish month). If this second date is taken as a starting point, John would have been born at the end of June and Jesus at the end of December. Thus, some of the early Christian writers (John Chrysostom, 347-407) taught that Zacharias received the message about John's birth on the Day of Atonement, which came in September or October.
On the other hand, according to historians, when the Temple was destroyed in the year 70, the priestly group of Joyarib was serving. If the priestly service was not interrupted from the time of Zacharias until the destruction of the temple, this calculation has Obadiah's turn in the first week of October, so some believe that January 6 may be the correct day.
In an anonymous treatise on solstices and equinoxes it was stated that «Our Lord was conceived on the 8th of the Kalends of April in the month of March (March 25th), which is the day of the Passion of the Lord and of his conception for he was conceived the same day he died." If he was conceived on March 25, the celebration of his birth would be set nine months later, that is, on December 25.
Establishment of December 25 as Christmas Day
Since the Gospels do not set the precise date of the birth of Jesus Christ, but only the place, the establishment of December 25 as the date of Christmas and the origin of traditions around it have been the subject of discussion among various scholars. On the one hand, the thesis that Christmas derived from or was inspired by previous Roman and pagan festivals; and on the other, the opposite, that rather, Christian Christmas gave rise to those festivities.
According to the first thesis, the celebration of this festival on December 25 is due to Mediterranean celebrations related to the winter solstice, mainly Sol invictus and Saturnalia, which would have been adapted by Christians in the 3rd century and facilitate the conversion of pagan peoples. Pope Julius I requested in 350 that the birth of Christ be celebrated on that same date and finally Pope Liberio decreed this day as the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in 354. The first mention of a Christmas banquet on that date in Constantinople dates from 379, under Gregory of Nazianzus. The feast was introduced in Antioch around 380, by Saint John Chrysostom. In Jerusalem, Egeria, in the IV century, witnessed the presentation banquet, forty days after January 6, February 15, which must have been the date of the birth celebration. The December banquet reached Egypt in the V century. Scandinavian Yule celebration, would have given rise to the Christmas tree.
On the other hand, recent historiographical trends indicate that Christians already celebrated the birth of Christ before the institution of the Saturnalia or the natalis Solis invictus, although on other dates of the year, especially March 25. Rather, the pagan festivities would have been established, in close dates, as a reaction to the expansion of Christianity, in the middle of the 4th century; or, at least, promoted at that time, for that reason, although on other dates (in November or August). For the same reason, the idea of the pagan origin of Christmas would have originated in the 16th or 17th centuries, in Protestant circles, as a denunciation of the Catholic deformations of Christianity and resumed in the 19th century. For this reason, Christians would have determined on December 25, based on the symbolism of the winter solstice by association of the sun with Christ, to establish the date of his birth and, consequently, his conception would have occurred with the spring equinox (March 25), close to Easter. In fact, it would have been Sixth Julius Africanus who suggested the date of December 25 as Christmas Day, from the year 221.
History
Formation of Christmas as a December party
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Christmas is not included in Irenaeus's list of Christian holidays nor in Tertullian's list on the same subject, both of which are the oldest known lists. The earliest evidence of concern for the date of Christmas is found in Alexandria, around the year 200 AD, when Clement of Alexandria indicates that certain "very curious" Egyptian theologians assigned not only the year but also the actual day of Christmas. birth of Christ as 25 Coptic pashons (May 20) in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus. From 221, in the work Chronographiai, Sixth Julius Africanus popularized December 25 as the date of the birth of Jesus. By the time of the Council of Nicaea I in 325, the Alexandrian Church had already established the Dies nativitatis et epifaníae.
Professor Shemarjahu Talmon, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, investigated the passage from the Gospel of Saint Luke (1, 5-13) in which it is said that at the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the class of Abijah, husband of Elizabeth.
Luke says that "while Zacharias officiated before the Lord, in his class turn, according to the custom of priestly service, he had to draw lots to enter the temple to make the incense offering" and at that moment an angel appeared to him who predicted the birth of a son, who was to be called John, who would be the Baptist.
The priests of ancient Israel were divided into 24 classes, which were organized in an unvarying order and had to provide liturgical service in the temple for a week, from Saturday to Saturday, twice a year. Zacarías' class, that of Abías, was the eighth in the official order.
Talmon reconstructed the shifts with the help of the calendar of the Essene community of Qumran. The second of the shifts was in September. The ancient Churches of the East celebrate the conception of John the Baptist between September 23 and 25.
Saint Luke the Evangelist says that the Annunciation of the archangel Saint Gabriel to the Virgin Mary occurred six months after the conception of John the Baptist (Lc, 1, 26). The Eastern and Western liturgies agree on the identification of this date with the 31st of the month of Adar, which corresponds to our March 25th, the date on which the Church celebrates the Annunciation and the conception of Jesus. The date of birth, therefore, should be placed 9 months later, that is, December 25.
Some have objected that he could not have been born in December, since the Gospel of Saint Luke speaks of some shepherds who spent the night in the open, which would indicate that it is not a winter season. However, the answer would lie in the purity standards of Judaism. The flocks of sheep were differentiated into three types: those composed only of sheep with white wool, considered pure and that after grazing returned to enter the fold in the center of the populations; those made up of partly white and partly black wool sheep, which in the afternoon entered pens arranged on the outskirts of towns; and the black wool sheep, considered impure, which could not enter the cities or the pens, having to remain outdoors with their shepherds at any time of the year. The Gospel also says that the shepherds took turns on watch, which would indicate a long and cold night, which fits a winter context.
The pope of Rome used to celebrate four masses at Christmas. The first took place late in the afternoon of the previous day, at the main altar of the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor. At midnight he celebrated a new mass in the same basilica, but in the chapel & # 34; of the manger & # 34;. The Supreme Pontiff also celebrated mass for the Greek community in Rome in the Basilica of Santa Anastasia, which they celebrated that day. The fourth mass was, finally, the one known as mass of the day, which the pope celebrated again in Santa María la Mayor.
Ban on the celebration of Christmas
During the Protestant Reformation, the celebration of the birth of Christ was banned by some Protestant Churches, calling it "Traps of the Papists" and even "Claws of the Beast", due to its relationship with Catholicism and ancient paganism. After the Parliamentary victory against King Charles I during the English Civil War in 1647, the English Puritan rulers banned the celebration of Christmas. The people rebelled, making several riots until they took important cities such as Canterbury, where they decorated the doors with slogans that spoke of the sanctity of the festival. The Restoration of 1660 ended the prohibition, but many non-conforming members of the reform clergy rejected Christmas celebrations, using puritanical arguments.
In colonial America, New England Puritans rejected Christmas, and its celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. At the same time, Christian residents of Virginia and New York freely followed the celebrations. Christmas fell out of favor in the United States after the Revolution, because it was considered an English custom.
After the French Revolution, its own French Republican calendar was developed. Although the changes in its implementation, 10 days each week, it was not very successful.
Relation to the 21st century
Currently, some independent Baptist Churches, some para-Protestant congregations of non-traditional denominations, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses whose founder is Charles Taze Russell, do not celebrate Christmas, because they consider it a "pagan holiday not prescribed in the Bible". In addition, they reject that December 25 is the true date of Christ's birth. It is worth mentioning that, in its beginnings, Jehovah's Witnesses celebrated Christmas, not as a religious celebration, but as a way of socializing among its members. The change in attitude towards the holiday was due to the distinctive teachings of its religious leader, Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford.
Others, however, do not accept the tradition calling them anti-Christmas , some comparing it to the attitudes of the Grinch. Some people have taken the holiday "unscientific" as shown in the Atheist Guide to Christmas. Bob Dorough made a song against the hit that transcended White Christmas.
Restoration
By the 1820s, sectarian tensions in England had eased and some British writers began to worry that Christmas was on its way out. Since they envisioned Christmas as a time of sincere celebration, they made efforts to revive the holiday. Charles Dickens' book A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, played an important role in reinventing the holiday of Christmas, emphasizing family, goodwill, compassion and family celebration..
Christmas was declared a United States federal holiday in 1870, in law signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, but it is still a holiday much discussed by the nation's various Puritan leaders.
Liturgical celebration
Currently, practically all the historical Christian Churches (Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, various Protestant Churches, etc.) give the solemnity of the Nativity or Christmas such importance that it is preceded by a time of preparation, Advent, in the same way that Lent is the time of preparation for Easter.
In the Catholic Church
The Roman rite allows different masses to be celebrated on the solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, with different readings and prayers depending on when they take place. Thus, the Christmas liturgy begins from the afternoon of the previous day, being able to celebrate then the mass of the vigil, before or after the first vespers of the Nativity of the Lord. At night (Christmas Eve) the midnight mass is celebrated, popularly called misa del gallo; In some places an dawn mass is celebrated that accompanies the dawn of December 25, in order to experience Christmas night as a festive vigil. Finally, the mass of the day is also celebrated on Christmas Day.
Traditionally, the pope delivers a Christmas address to all the faithful around the world from the so-called "balcony of blessings" of Saint Peter's Basilica, after which he gives a solemn blessing known as Urbi et orbi (Latin: To the city –of Rome– and to the world).
From the first vespers of the Nativity of the Lord begins the so-called “Christmas time”, which includes the celebration of the Holy Family (first Sunday after December 25), the solemnity of Saint Mary, Mother of God (January 1, that is, the eighth of the Nativity), the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (January 6 or the second Sunday after December 25) and the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (on Sunday or Monday, after the Epiphany), with which this period concludes. that of the Holy Innocents (December 28).
In Orthodox churches
The Eastern Churches, for not accepting the calendar proposed by Pope Gregory XIII, still use the Julian calendar and therefore celebrate Christmas on December 25, which, according to the Gregorian calendar, is January 7. The Armenian Apostolic Church, on the other hand, celebrates it on January 6, along with Epiphany (in most churches that date is celebrated on Three Kings Day).
The Churches of Alexandria, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Finland, Greece and Cyprus are excepted; They do celebrate Christmas on December 25.
It should be noted that in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ according to the canonical Gospels, Christmas is celebrated twice, as the Basilica of the Nativity is jointly administered by the Catholic Church, which celebrates Christmas on December 25, and the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem that celebrates it on January 6.
In that church there is an underground cavern with an altar above the place where according to tradition Jesus was born. The exact point is marked by a hole in the middle of a 14-pointed silver star surrounded by silver lamps.
In Protestantism
Although until the 19th century some Protestant Churches stopped celebrating Christmas, to disassociate themselves from Catholicism, most, beginning by Luther, they continued to celebrate it on December 25. In the United States, Catholics and Protestants shared Christmas since 1607, the year that holiday was celebrated for the first time in North America.
In other confessions
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are known as Mormons, also celebrate Christmas on December 25, although they consider the birth of Jesus Christ to have taken place on April 6.
Although Christmas is celebrated by most Christians, some groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses reject its celebration, claiming that it is a holiday that is not indicated in the Bible and that Jesus did not order to celebrate his birth.
Popular traditions and customs
It is common in some regions or countries for a character or characters to visit children to leave gifts under the Christmas tree. Apart from the Christian origin of Christmas, this holiday has been mixing its religious character with the tradition of family coexistence, largely due to the popularity of this celebration and its marketing.
The 19th century was when Christmas began to establish itself with the character it has today. The custom of exchanging gifts and the character of Santa Claus and giving Christmas cards became popular. Customs that over time marketing (especially the North American) would take advantage of to spread Christmas around the world, giving it a character other than religious, and with themes that have little or nothing to do with the traditional Christmas celebration.
Christmas is celebrated by Christians, but also by non-believers; some use Christmas as a celebration of social and family coexistence without being linked to any religion, while others outline it in presidential messages. In many parts of Europe and America there is a growing trend, driven mainly from local parishes, to recover the religious meaning of Christmas and its true meaning.
Christmas Traditions
Christmas is the most popular Christian holiday, despite the fact that the Church considers Easter to be more important. One of them is known as the Novena de Aguinaldos (December 16 to 24), a Catholic custom in which families or groups of people gather to pray a novena, eat typical Christmas dishes (depending on the country), sing Christmas carols and make themed entertainment to the Christmas and New Year parties. Prior to the event, the Advent wreath is made, made from cypress or pine branches tied with a red ribbon, it is made every Sunday before Christmas Day. Families gather around it every Sunday, a candle is lit and prayers and Christmas carols are recited in preparation for the Birth of Jesus. This tradition is recurrent in the Catholic Church since the crown must be blessed in the church.
Others involve a diverse set of traditions, both liturgical and family, local or national. Starting with the Christmas Eve dinner (December 24-December 25), it consists of a large banquet that lasts from Christmas Eve until after midnight. It is celebrated in honor of the birth of Christ that took place at midnight, at the beginning of December 25; in a similar way to the Jewish banquet of Pesaj. Traditionally, turkey, pork, lamb, cod and other dishes are eaten, depending on the place where it is celebrated or the traditions of the family. Traditionally in Christian families or Christian gatherings, a prayer is usually held at midnight in honor of the birth of Jesus and as a sign of gratitude to God.
Nativity scenes, mangers or Christmas births: they consist of the representation of the birth of Jesus, through a model of Bethlehem and its surroundings, in which the main figures are the stable where Jesus was born, the ''Holy Family'', the animals and the shepherds, also the 3 ''Kings of the East'' and a star with a trail that is also usually placed at the top of the ''tree'' of Christmas. According to tradition, Saint Francis of Assisi was its inventor. In Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela and other countries, the figure of the Child is not placed until the arrival of Christmas, the date on which it is celebrated. his birth, and after being "lulled" is placed between Joseph and Mary.
Christmas carols: songs or chants alluding to the birth of Christ or the Holy Family. Some like "Silent Night" have versions in various languages or rhythms, with the same or different names.
The Christmas tree: a decorative element for which a conifer (or artificial trees) decorated with ornaments is usually used. Being an evergreen tree symbolizes the love of God. It has its origin in Germany where the evangelizer Saint Boniface established the tradition. For larger elaborations, Christmas villages are made; representations of towns in snowy season.
Regional customs and gastronomy
Other celebrations vary by region, becoming unconventional in Nordic countries. In Mexico and its neighboring countries, the Posadas are held from December 16 to 24 in Mexico and neighboring towns; series of popular festivals, which recall the journey of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary to reach Bethlehem. These celebrations take place together with the piñatas, which consist of a clay pot decorated with picks and confetti or cardboard figures decorated with colored confetti, both filled with sweets, fruit and sometimes toys and confetti, which are broken into each of the days of the Posadas. According to tradition, the piñata must have 7 spikes since each one represents the seven deadly sins.
The streets, avenues, squares, parks, rivers, lakes or mountains have also become a sample of the Christmas season, since they are transformed into beautiful settings for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of the place or visitors. Most of the cities of the West, and a good part of the East, place striking and colorful lighting, some of great beauty, in their streets, mainly in the busiest streets, as well as large Christmas trees, nativity scenes, etc. Also people put Christmas lights on the balconies and windows of their houses. Especially striking are the Christmas decorations and lights in Germany, the United States and some cities in Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Other countries have fireworks. In Colombia they are made with a tissue paper balloon, it is a flying device that in countries like Colombia is released during the Christmas celebration; In this season, the media and companies launch campaigns that seek to eliminate this practice due to the risks involved in releasing an item like this with fire inside; However, it continues to be a deeply rooted tradition among people and it is not uncommon to see balloons during December 24 and 25 in the skies of some of its most important cities.
Gastronomy is characteristic at Christmas. Chocolatadas are celebrations for children during the weeks leading up to December 24 in Peru. It consists of children's shows, dances, and delivery of gifts for everyone. It is so called because hot chocolate and panetón (sweet bread with candied fruits) are a must.
Gifts
Christmas has been the main reason for gifts between family members. Shopping malls use marketing techniques to motivate shoppers to make gifts, mainly to meet year-end needs around the world. Several agencies run advertisements related to the holiday spirit, while others offer loans to purchase household appliances at ease. of the family.
Personalities
Santa Claus is one of the most popular characters, delivering gifts to children on Christmas Eve. He has become popular all over the world, sometimes against local traditions, thanks to globalization, Anglo-Saxon influence, as well as advertising and marketing.
Instead, gifts are given to children by the Baby Jesus in countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Bolivia and Mexico, especially in rural areas. The tradition that it is the Child Jesus who brings the gifts is also found in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Other characters who distribute gifts around Christmas are the Befana, in parts of Italy, the Olentzero in the Basque Country, the Apalpador b> in Galicia or the Tió de Nadal in Catalonia and Cachafuòc in Occitania.
In places like Spain, Portugal and much of Latin America, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, the delivery of gifts takes place not on Christmas Day, but on January 6, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The Magi are in charge of giving gifts to children, representing the gifts brought to Jesus at his birth.
Christmas in the arts, television and film
In art
The commemoration of the Birth of Jesus is, together with the celebration of his Passion, Death and Resurrection, one of the main events of the Christian Liturgical Year. For this reason, it is a subject that has interested artists of all times, regardless of the geographical and chronological framework in which they developed their activity.
Many fictional Christmas stories are reenacted with themes of hope or miraculous tales. Several have become part of the local Christmas tradition. Among the most popular are Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker and Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol.). These in turn have been taken to the movies or television, with or without adaptations to a particular program.
Christmas representations vary, ranging from representations of the birth of Christ to images of Christmas events. Among the paintings of the birth of Christ, there are those that represent the adoration of the shepherds or that of the Magi. And among some of its exponents are: Fra Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Sandro Botticelli, El Greco, among many others. And Andrei Rubliov and Kiko Argüello in icons. As for other Christmas images, there are posters, postage stamps, cards, etc.
On TV
Since the 1980s, numerous TV series have aired special Christmas episodes. Animated series such as The Simpsons, Winnie the Pooh, Peanuts, Futurama, Family Guy i>, The Cleveland Show, American Dad! Braceface My Dad the Rock Star or live action as Drake & Josh, ICarly Victorious or Big Time Rush. Some are even part of the story itself, instead of just being a special chapter. Even some Japanese animes have a Christmas episode, like Love Hina, Ranma 1/2 and Shin Chan.
In Spain, shows are usually broadcast on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Particularly important is the Noche de fiesta program, broadcast on TVE from 1999 to 2004. On Christmas Eve, Antena 3 has broadcast several episodes of The Simpsons since 2001, while TVE offers a program on New Year's Eve humorous with a couple of important comedians: Cruz y raya, Los Morancos or Martes y Trece, among others. In recent years, private channels have left Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve to series with high audiences, such as Aquí no hay quien viva, La que se avecina, I know what you did..., etc.. The presenter Ramón García is the typical image of the chimes with his cape, while the rest of the channels have other famous actors or presenters.
In Mexico, Televisa aired three Christmas-themed telenovelas: Cuento de Navidad (1999), Rayito de Luz (2000) and Navidad sin fin (2001), in addition to broadcasting the Christmas special of El Chavo del Ocho. Other channels, such as Televisa or TV Azteca, broadcast special programs focused on the celebration of Christmas, as "table companions".
In Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries, it is a tradition for Queen Elizabeth II to deliver a Christmas message at 3pm, broadcast on television; Likewise, from 1975 to 2014 King Juan Carlos I did it and from 2014 his son King Felipe VI in Spain at 9 at night.
In Colombia, since the beginning of television in 1954, government agencies such as the now-defunct Inravisión and Radio Televisión Nacional de Colombia have been in charge of broadcasting the prayer of the Novena de Aguinaldos, while in the last decade the private channels Caracol and RCN produce their own Christmas specials. For more than 30 years, Caracol has broadcast a Christmas special on Happy Saturdays and Jorge Barón Televisión has produced the inevitable Colombian Home Festival. On December 24 at 8 p.m. m. It is customary to issue the Christmas greeting of the President of the Republic to the people and the Armed Forces.
In Venezuela it is very common for the channels to perform a musical or greeting micro with all the actors, entertainers, singers, journalists and personnel who carry out the television programs alluding to these dates, which is known as " Christmas message", which is usually broadcast within the commercial breaks of each program, generally from the last Sunday of November until January 6. Likewise, the channels adapt Christmas motifs to the design of their graphics and even in some cases Christmas designs are adapted to the DOG of the channel's logo that appears on the screen during programming.
At the movies
Both American and international cinema made films with different themes.
- Those related to the history of the birth of Christ, Christmas stories or Santa Claus.
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and his remake (1994)
- Santa Claus (1959), Mexican film with the performances of José Elías Moreno and Cesáreo Quezadas «Pulgarcito». History deals with any Christmas, except that the Devil Price begins its iniquities and Santa Claus will not let it get away with it.
- Jesus, the child God (1971), a Mexican film directed by Miguel Zacarías, whose story revolves around the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem of Judah and the flight to Egypt
- Blizzard (2003) of LeVar Burton
- The Magi (2003) of Antonio Navarro
- The Nativity Story (2006)
- Christmas S.A. (2008) with the performance of Mexican Pedro Armendáriz as Santa Claus.
- The films produced by the IDS are also highlighted as The Lamb of God, The Christmas of Nora, Christmas dream, The last Sheet, Nativity and I, for this I am born.
- The films whose history unfolds in Christmastime, that is, it does not have a direct link with Santa Claus:
- How beautiful it is to live! (1946)
- Gremlins (1984)
- Die Hard (1988) and Die Hard 2 (1990)
- Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), known as Just home (Spain) or My poor Angelito (Hispanoamérica)
- Batman Returns (1992)
- Females (1994 film)
- While you sleptJon Turteltaub (1995)
- The Day of the Beastof the Church (1995)
- Family Man (2000)
- Love actually (2003)
- The Holiday (2003)
- Elf (2003)
- Movies with stories related to Christmas. Sometimes it's movies for television.
- Die Hard (1988)
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) with Chevy Chase, known as It's already Christmas. (Spain) or Christmas holidays (Hispanoamérica).
- Eduardo Manostijeras (1990)
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Nightmare before Christmas (Spain) or The Strange World of Jack (Hispanoamérica)
- The Santa Clause (1994), The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3
- The Promised Gift (1996)
- Jack Frost, my dad's a snowman (1997)
- The Grinch (2000)
- Crazy Christmas (2004)
- The Polar Express (2004)
- Merry Christmas (2005)
- Pesadilla Before Christmas 3D (2008)
- A Christmas Carol (2009)
- Arthur Christmas (2011)
- A Fairly Odd Christmas (2012)
In music
The first specific hymns in honor of Christmas date from the IV century, in Ancient Rome, and were written in Latin. An example of them is the Veni redemptor gentium, composed by Ambrose, the then Archbishop of Milan.
Throughout history, songs dedicated to Christmas have varied in style. Among the well-known ones are Silent Night of the 19th century, White Christmas of the 1940s or Merry Christmas in 1970.
Several singers and groups have released Christmas themes or full albums of the theme, with their own songs such as the duo Wham!, Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey, among others. Singers of the current generation like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, among others, have also posted festive songs. Sometimes, some singers also make adaptations of existing popular songs, such is the case of Last Christmas, a song by Wham!, which was interpreted with different styles from the original by Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.
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