The Holiday of Christmas has been celebrated for almost 1,700 years, and many trends have come and gone throughout this very large span of time.

Over time, Christmas has gone from being celebrated as a religious holiday to a cultural celebration. Additionally, the types of Christmas gifts given have shifted as well.

The holiday is becoming less about the religion it was originally centered around, and it is now becoming more a cultural holiday. One example of this shift is the expansion of the group of people who celebrate the holiday.

Additionally, an increasing amount of people, even Christians, tend to think of the Christmas now as a holiday centered around giving and being with family, rather than a holiday centered around the birth of Christ.

When asked her opinion on of what Christmas is now based on, Freshman Nina Welle a responded, “I definitely think that Christmas is less religious than it used to be, and I think it’s now a days it is more of a secular holiday.”

The celebration of Christmas has also evolved in terms of the types of gifts given on Christmas day. Gifts such as clothes and simple toys have gone out of style to make way for new “flashy” gifts.

New popular gifts include very high priced items such as iPods, iPhones, Fitbits, and drones.

These flashy gifts are greatly valued by the children of today. One of the gifts that has gone out of style is the Teddy Bear, which was popular in years passed.

Another example of a popular gift from years passed were clothes. In the 1930’s clothes were one of the top gifts wanted by children, even though most were simplistic in design.

They were most likely valued due to the Great Depression, where there was little money to spend on common items such as clothing.

An additional example of a sort of gift given during past Christmas Holidays was pop and rock music during the later decades of the 20th century.

Bernards Sophomore Jacob Sugarmann, said “It’s important for gifts to change as people’s opinions and culture change,” when asked about his opinion on the change in gifts.

In conclusion, Christmas trends have come and gone, but this year let’s hopefully make some good traditions that will stick.