Christmas should be cancelled

Thanks for your post, and allow me to wish you seasons greetings. This is my very first debate, so I apologize in advance for any procedural errors. From your opening remarks, I am not sure whether you are advocating for the removal of Christmas Day as a public holiday, or arguing for the complete ban of Christmas celebration altogether (or both). My confusion stems from your point # 3 regarding the stress caused by shopping for Christmas, advertising, etc. I do not see what effecting removing Christmas as a public holiday would have on shopping stress or advertising. Your clarification here would be appreciated. That said, and to be on the safe side, I will argue against canceling Christmas altogether, and hopefully address the public holiday issue in the process. I will first make my case for not canceling Christmas, and then attempt to rebut your arguments. C1-It is not necessarily religious. It is true that the historical roots of Christmas stem from the religious tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ, but if one looks back at the tradition even farther, the pre-Christian origins of the winter celebration are clear. [1] Over time, Christmas has certainly become increasingly secularized. It has evolved into more of a cultural event focused on joy and giving, rather than a strict religious observance. This is supported by the US Courts when addressing suits brought on by those seeking to end Christmas as a public holiday due to the establishment clause of the US Constitution. The courts ruled that Christmas, "has a valid secular purpose, it does not have the effect of endorsing religion in general or Christianity in particular, and it does not impermissibly cause excessive entanglement between church and state." [2] Christmas is at a point now where it can be comfortably celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike. I have many non-Christian friends who vigorously engage in Christmas celebrations. Why even the renown atheist Richard Dawkins celebrates the holiday. [3] C2-Charitable giving increases during the holidays Surveys show that charitable giving increases during the holiday season. I acknowledge that the reason for the increase might be due to many factors not necessarily associated with Christmas (last minute donations for tax purposes, needs of the poor due to cold weather, etc), but it is clear that a tradition of giving during Christmas has a significant impact in increased donations. [4] C3-Economic Benefits My arguments for the economic benefit of Christmas will be addressed as part of my rebuttal. C4-It's just plain fun People derive great joy from the traditions associated with Christmas. Here are just a few examples: • The eager anticipation of the holiday • Family and friends coming together • Great food (and drink for that matter – I love eggnog) • Singing Christmas carols • Exchanging gifts • Trimming the tree • Mistletoe • Sharing the joys of laughter and good cheer And if you are really against the whole Christmas celebration, the good news is that participation is optional. Rebuttal "1 – The vast majority of people in the West do not practice Christianity: the United States has the highest number of churchgoers for a developed nation at 25%, whereas in Northern European countries church attendance ranges between 3-12 %. Why then is a celebration associated with a religious minority foisted upon the entire nation?" Church Attendance is not a pre-requisite of Christianity. A person is a Christian if they consider themselves a follower of Christ. How they chose to manifest that personal designation is, well, personal. The bottom line is that Christians are not a minority in the US or UK. 76% of the US population [5] and 72% in the UK [6] consider themselves Christian. "2 – As businesses shut down for Christmas Day the lost productivity costs industry trillions of dollars: the GDP of the European Union and the United States alone is USD30,533,747 million which means that Christmas costs US and EU firms $83.65 trillion dollars every year." It is unreasonable to assume that GDP in the US and the European Union comes to a complete stand still on Christmas day. I can tell you from personal experience that I've unfortunately had to work on Christmas Day several times. The truth is that Christmas has a huge beneficial impact to the economy as Kathleen Antriim's column outlines [7]. If we were to end Christmas, consider all of the retail, manufacturing and ancillary business that would be effected. Furthermore, if you are seriously complaining about the net GDP loss for declaring a public holiday, should we not also get rid of New Year's Day as well? "3 – Shopping for Christmas presents is not only enormously stressful but parents are encouraged by advertisers and through peer pressure to spend more than they can afford on gifts for their children: 52% of families with low and middle incomes turn to high interest debt to cover the cost of Christmas; money that would be better spent on their children's health and education" You've obviously never met my wife, as she actually considers Christmas shopping a relaxing experience. It sounds like your gripe is with stress, advertising, peer pressure and people who spend irresponsibly. The mere fact that Christmas is involved does not warrant its removal. People get fat from eating too much food, but food is not the problem, people's behavior is the problem. Cancelling Christmas is not the solution. People taking personal responsibility is. I can absolutely guarantee you that if we end Christmas, people will still get stressed, people will still experience peer pressure, people will still spend irresponsibly, and advertisers will still advertise. It is unfortunate, but true. Conclusion Christmas is enjoyed by a vast majority of people, Christian and non-Christian alike. We should embrace it as a wonderful time of year. Let the kids open their presents on Christmas Morning, and let Mom & Dad have a day off so they can join their kids in the celebration. Sources [1] http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] http://www.becketfund.org... [3] http://writerchick99.wordpress.com... [4] http://www.thestreet.com... [5] http://religions.pewforum.org... [6] http://www.communities.gov.uk... [7] http://dev.www.washingtonexaminer.com...