By Danila Bernardo Mendonca Cambanco
When autumn gives way to winter and snow covers the ground while lights twinkle from house to house, you know Christmas is coming.
Every year, people all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on 25 December. It’s a time filled with carols, tree decorations, gift-giving, and parties.
Christmas has different meanings from person to person.
For religious people, the December holiday signifies the birth of Jesus Christ and is a sacred time that brings believers together in church to celebrate the arrival of the Messiah.
Last year, according to Statista, about 1.62 million people in London attended Christmas church services, compared to an average of 645,000 people who attend weekly. The numbers fell from pre-Covid times, when about 2.32 to 2.69 people attended Christmas services, it said.
Photo by Skitterphoto
For others, it’s a time to express gratitude and love through the exchange of gifts and laughter.
It’s a time that brings the whole family together, a time of abundance when the table is full, a time when the streets are lit up with colourful lights everywhere.
Thomas Stevens, 25 years old, Tesco worker said: “The good news about Christmas is that even when the world or our circumstances change, the message of Christmas is always the same, because Christmas is about the birth of our saviour Jesus. Christ. He was sent by God to give us love, hope, and joy.
“That’s why, for me, Christmas represents the hope that sooner or later our problems will be solved, we just must have faith and patience that the day will come.”
For others, it’s a trip back in time, to when it was believed that if you were good all year
round, Father Christmas would give you the present you asked for.
Daimara Alves, 19, student said: “Christmas will always be my favourite time of year, it reminds me so much of my childhood.
“The lights and the carols take me back in time, the full table and the midnight wait to open the presents that Father Christmas has left, not to mention the laughter and the food.
“For me, Christmas means joy, unity and hope.”
Image by Jan van Winsen from Pixabay
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