Matt Bush, FISM News

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Having been a missionary in Haiti, I have had the opportunity to experience Christmas in two very different cultures. While I love much of the festivities that come with the holiday in America, having seen the way other parts of the world celebrate the day has given me a renewed view on where the importance of the day lies.

Christmas has such different meanings and traditions tied to it depending on what country or culture you are celebrating in. While the holiday is intended to celebrate the birth of Jesus, that is not always evident regardless of where you are celebrating. 

In America, it would be difficult to argue that Christmas has by and large become a commercialized holiday, largely losing the true meaning of the remembrance of Christ’s incarnation. Decorations and advertisements can be seen as early as October, and there is an onslaught each year of retail stores clamoring for your money and touting the next big toy or electronic device.

A Forbes article from January 2021 stated that holiday sales hit $876 billion in 2020, and many experts believe that 2021 will show similar retail success. According to the Capital Counselor website, the profit margins of the holiday is staggering:

• Parents plan to spend $276/child on Christmas gifts.
• Americans will spend approximately $6.1 billion on Christmas trees.
• It is estimated that there will be $15.2 million worth of unwanted Christmas gifts given in 2021.
• Americans plan on spending an average of $886 on Christmas gifts in 2021.

Comparatively, the entire GDP for Haiti in 2020 was $14.51 billion which means that unwanted Christmas gifts in America will top Haiti’s entire Gross Domestic Product in 2021. The average Haitian earns about $1,250 annually meaning that the $886 each American expects to spend on Christmas gifts this year will equate to almost the average yearly income for Haitians.

These numbers are not to make anyone feel good or bad about what they will do this Christmas season, they are just numbers. But numbers often tell a story, and that is the case here as well.

In America, the gift exchange has become the hallmark of most Christmas gatherings. It is difficult to host a party or get together with family or friends without making sure that gifts are brought and exchanged. With young children, Christmas lists, visiting Santa, and waking up to see what they got on Christmas morning have become almost all consuming in some families.

With Christmas Day being on a Saturday, almost every single church door in America will be closed. On the day that is set aside to celebrate the birth of our Savior, most Christians will stay away from their church families and instead celebrate the gifts that they were able to give and receive.

In Haiti, almost every church is open for the entire day. Many teenagers and children will spend the night inside their church sanctuaries on Christmas Eve, spending time in prayer and waking up to worship Jesus for His birth.

In Haiti, very few gifts will be exchanged. In fact, the majority of gifts that will be exchanged during Christmas are brought in by Americans who work in orphanages and other ministries because that is what we have been taught to do…give gifts.

Haitians are not “right” in how they celebrate Christmas and Americans are not “wrong” in what they do. The two cultures, mostly because of circumstances, have diverged significantly in how Christmas is celebrated, and I am sure we could each learn from the other.