[sandie]

Originally Posted by missourimary

The decorations are part of a long series of traditions from various parts of the world. For instance, evergreens were brought indoors during the season during the Middle Ages in Europe to lessen the stench associated with too many unwashed bodies and too-long closed windows. (Brides originally carried a bouquet to cover foul scents too.) Some of the older songs were used to teach the Bible story of Christmas at a time when many people couldn't read, too.

Over the years, Christmas has kept it's traditions and songs and become romanticized. So has Easter, but Easter tends to decorate itself with fresh flowers and such, and we tend to use and remember it's tree (the cross) all year. In Europe, where there is no Thanksgiving celebration, Christmas was a day of feasting, warmth and visiting, of thinking of others, and of having a holiday during the long, cold, dark winter.

My guess is that there are more decorations, romanticization, and sentimentalism because Christmas falls in one of the harshest months of the year. It's decorations are brought indoors and crafted, rather than being natural like Easter's, and we've used more and more of them in our celebrations to brighten what used to otherwise be a cold, dreary season. The decorations, stories, songs, gifts and family time have helped to make it a more sentimental and romantic holiday.

That's probably as good an explanation as I've ever read.

The only down side I see to this celebration is that it can exaggerate difficult times. If you can't afford all the trimmings it can be very painful.