Christmas

Christmas is an important Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus. In 336 A.D., the Church of Rome began celebrating this festival on December 25, which was originally the birth date of the Sun God as set by the Roman Empire. Because of the different calendars used, the specific date and form of activities celebrated by each denomination also differ.

Christmas customs spread to Asia mainly in the middle of the nineteenth century, Japan, Korea and so on have been affected by the Christmas culture. Nowadays, it has become a common custom in the West to give gifts to each other at Christmas, to hold banquets, and to add to the festive atmosphere with Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and so on. Christmas has also become a public holiday in the Western world as well as in many other regions.

Christmas characters mainly refer to Santa Claus, whose prototype was St. Nicholas, a bishop who lived in the city of Mira (in present-day Turkey) in the 4th century A.D. He did a lot of charitable work during his life. He did a lot of charitable work throughout his life, and his favorite thing was to help the poor in secret. Santa Claus was his later alias, the name coming from the story of his secret delivery of money to help three girls. Nicholas was honored as a saint after his death. Santa Claus is depicted as an old white-bearded man in a red robe and a red hat. Every Christmas he comes from the north in a deer-drawn sleigh and enters homes by the chimney to hang Christmas presents in stockings above the children's beds or in front of the fireplace.

Christmas cards are popular as Christmas gifts in the United States and Europe, and many families bring along annual family photos or family news with their cards, which generally include the strengths and specialties of family members over the past year. Christmas Day to send Christmas cards, in addition to expressing the joy of celebrating Christmas, is to friends and relatives blessing to express the feelings of longing. Especially for friends and relatives in the loneliness, it is a kind care and comfort.

Merry Christmas to you all. 2024 has turned the page and 2025 marks the beginning of a new chapter. I wish you all an extraordinary year, full of success, happiness, inspiration and ambition. May new ideas fuel your projects and may they be wonderfully realized.

Happy New Year 2025!