Interview with Victor Lemus, resident minister in Campisi Hall at Santa Clara University
How do you celebrate Christmas personally? Or…How did you celebrate Christmas growing up?
I celebrated Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. Like most Hispanic families, mine focused more on being together during Christmas Eve than celebrating on Christmas Day. We would stay up the whole night and celebrate the becoming of Christmas. We would eat dinner, socialize, and say a prayer at the turning of the hour for the birth of Jesus.
What about gifts?
We did gifts when we were younger, but now it is more of a hug giving exchange. <3 :)
What does your church do for Christmas?
For my Parish (as opposed to the college church that I’ve also attended), they lit candles and held them in the dark. We said specific prayers during this time. There was a designated Christmas mass that was big deal. During the month of December for Advent, everything is purple. I think it’s weird that at Santa Clara everything is blue instead, the priests wear blue.
Do you think that people who celebrate Christmas understand and recognize the religious context of the holiday?
It varies widely, almost too varying to answer. But I’d say yes, especially by age. For example, kids don’t care much about Jesus and just want their presents from Santa. As you grow older, you develop a more culture aspect of the whole season as well as a deeper religious aspect of Jesus, which most don’t usually recognize. Most people recognize that there is a connection between the holidays and religion but they don’t go to any deeper level with that. Also, I think it has to do with the level of wealth of a country. For example, poor countries have no distractions from the true religious meaning of holidays, so they recognize it.
Do you think that people today have lost the true spirit of giving during Christmas? What are your thoughts on the gift-giving traditions of Christmas?
Well, I don’t think that there should be full blame on Wal-Mart or anything. I think it all comes down to families and how you’re raised.
Do you see Christmas as becoming more secularized/ commercialized in the future?
I’m optimistic, so I think that eventually it will find its religious roots.
What does your church do for Easter?
At my parish, there were egg hunts, but I never participated in them. I personally never believed in the Easter bunny or Santa. The kids got some sense of actual Easter through talks and the egg hunts.
Did more people show up for Easter mass than other masses?
Yes, many more people showed up for Easter and Christmas to the point where you had to show up an hour and a half or two hours early to get a seat.
What do you think about people who attend mass only on Christmas and Easter—do you praise them for attending or do you feel that they should show their devotion at all other masses as well?
My church was always jam-packed for Christmas and Easter, and it’s clear that people show respect for those holidays.
So you don’t think it’s disrespectful for people to only show up for these two holidays?
I question the authenticity of those people, but I don’t think it’s disrespectful. Church is not a club—there are no requirements or a quota that people have to reach.
Why do you think so many originally Catholic holidays (such as Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and Valentine’s Day) have come to be celebrated more secularly/have lost a lot of their religious meaning?
I think it’s based on the country. I’m from Guatemala, and Christmas and Easter are much more family-oriented. We focus on celebrating Jesus. In America, it’s not strictly commercialism that has caused the secularization, but also the culture—the mom doesn’t have time for her kids, dad doesn’t have time for the wife, everyone’s always traveling—that culture. The family doesn’t have time for each other especially in richer countries.
How do you feel these holidays should be celebrated? What values should people be conscious of during these holidays?
I think the holidays should bring people and families together. It’s helpful for people to know why they’re celebrating holidays, but they don’t necessarily have to know the traditional Catholic meanings.
What are your opinions on the secular symbols of many Catholic holidays—e.g., Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, leprechauns, and Cupid—as opposed to traditional, religious symbols, such as Jesus and the cross?
I have no problem with secular symbols, I just never believed in them. I think they’re good channels to teach kids about religion. You can’t teach a two-year-old about Jesus, but characters like Santa help. It becomes a problem when these representations turn into commercialization.
Interview with Laura Anderson, student at San Jose State University
How do you celebrate Christmas personally? Or…How did you celebrate Christmas growing up? What does your church do for Christmas?
I celebrate Christmas by spending time around my family. We don't really consider it a religious thing, but more of a chance to be around each other, eat good food, etc. In fact, I prefer to stay away from all of the religious aspects of the holiday entirely, if at all possible. But the food is always nice. Giving and getting gifts too..
Do you think that people who celebrate Christmas understand and recognize the religious context of the holiday?
I guess so, but i don't think that you have to "recognize" to be able to celebrate or enjoy the holiday. If you look at it as more of a time to be with your family and uphold your personal morals, then i don't think the religious context is all that important.
Do you think that people today have lost the true spirit of giving during Christmas? What are your thoughts on the gift-giving traditions of Christmas?
I think the gift-giving is an expectation of Christmas. For me it's always been a part of the celebration, but I guess that's because I’m fortunate enough to be able to have those luxuries. Not everyone can have that, though, and I still think they can appreciate and enjoy the holiday without the giving/getting of gifts.
Do you see Christmas as becoming more secularized/ commercialized in the future?
I guess given my already "secular" views of the holiday, I wouldn't be surprised to see it become more that way in the future. I’m not sure about the commercial part though, given the state of the economy..
What does your church do for Easter? What do you think about people who attend mass only on Christmas and Easter—do you praise them for attending or do you feel that they should show their devotion at all other masses as well?
I think that's kind of fake/not really a good representation of a person's devotion. if you want to go to church, then go, but if you only go one or two days per year, I think it's more something that you're using to make yourself feel at peace, and not necessarily to devote yourself anymore to your religion.
Why do you think so many originally Catholic holidays (such as Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and Valentine’s Day) have come to be celebrated more secularly/have lost a lot of their religious meaning?
The world itself has become more secular-- not everyone's life centers around religion anymore like it used to, so it should be expected that holidays would follow the same path.
How do you feel these holidays should be celebrated? What values should people be conscious of during these holidays?
I think you should celebrate these holidays however you feel best doing so. I appreciate family time and good food, so those are big factors in my holiday celebrations. Others have their celebrations center around the religious aspect, which is great too.
What are your opinions on the secular symbols of many Catholic holidays—e.g., Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, leprechauns, and Cupid—as opposed to traditional, religious symbols, such as Jesus and the cross?
I don't really have any strong feelings about these things.. Like I said before, the world is becoming more secular, so holiday celebrations will inevitably become that way too.
Our Responses
Melissa: I found both of these interviews to be very enlightening, because both interviewees brought up different aspects to the topic that I hadn’t considered very much before. Both Victor and Laura emphasized the importance of family over religious or secular celebrations of the holiday, which I wholeheartedly agree with. This actually made me reconsider the topic completely, and I have come to realize that just because holidays are traditionally religious does not mean that they have to be celebrated as such, or that they have to be celebrated any particular way for that matter. What does matter is how individuals and families want to spend the holidays together, as that is much more authentic then trying to live up to some societal or other expectations.
Another topic of the interview that I found interesting was how both Victor and Laura answered the question about secular holiday characters and figures such as Santa and the Easter bunny. Victor admitted that he had never believed in them, but I was especially interested in his opinion on how those types of holiday representations are beneficial for teaching kids in particular about the religious meanings. I hadn’t thought of this before, as to me these characters have always simply seemed like commercialized creations of our culture that have no meaningful connection to the holidays that they are associated with. However, now I can see how they actually do have meaning, or at least have the potential to be religiously instructive for kids. Laura also seemed to not have any problems with these secular holiday representations, justifying this by saying that our society as a whole is becoming more secular. I was surprised that neither interviewee had anything negative to say about such secular representations for what should be religious occasions, but their answers also broadened my mind to other valid ways of thinking about this.
Overall, both interviewees provided me with new insight on our topic. Victor and Laura were very open-minded, which I found to be very beneficial for me personally. Holiday celebrations are not simply black and white, religious or nonreligious. There is also not one set meaning of the holidays that people either adhere to or stray from through their celebrations. What I have come to realize is that people can celebrate holidays however they find important, whether that be religiously or secularly.
Katherine: Although our interviews did not work out as originally planned, as conflicting schedules didn’t allow us to interview the priest and the Christmas parade official we originally intended on speaking with, I was very pleased with the interviews we did engage in. Both Victor and Laura both provided excellent representations of the secular view and religious view of Christian holidays, which is what we were seeking with our interviews. Hearing what they had to say met many of my preceded expectations, but I was also surprised by many of their answers.
Being that Victor and I know each other very well and have had many conversations previously, I felt that I had a good idea of what kind of answers he would give us. I knew that he had grown up in a close family and had been raised Catholic. I was very surprised to hear that he never believed in the Easter bunny or Santa as a child. Victor’s point about the American family culture and how family members are often too busy for each other, I felt really exemplified a truth about our country. I don’t often think about how less wealthy countries are more likely to focus on the religious aspects of a holiday because they don’t have the extravagances we have to distract them. I was also very impressed by Victor’s response to secular symbols such as Santa and the Easter Bunny. He really stressed that a young child is not going to understand such complex topics such as Jesus and the Virgin Mary, so Santa Claus is an easier way to explain the holiday. It’s just the matter of the parents taking the more commercialized route, neglecting the family values which Christmas encourages, that can lead to problems.
Laura’s interview was very intriguing as well, as it provided a look at a very secular celebration of Christmas. Prior to Laura’s interview, I thought that not recognizing the Christian significance of Christmas took away from one’s ability to truly enjoy it. I realized during her interview that that might not be true. I hadn’t realized what power a universal value, appreciating family and friends, could have. Though that may be all that she gets out of the holiday, that is still something that makes it special to her. Throughout the interview, Laura talked about how she believed the world becoming secularized was a valid reason as to why people like her celebrating holidays in a secular way is o.k. This made me think about how much religion truly isn’t present in our world as much as it used to. Going to a Catholic school for the last four years, during which I mostly socialized with Catholics, I had begun to forget that much of the world has strayed away from religion.
Overall both interviews allowed me to see holidays like Christmas in a different light. But I also noticed similar aspects which both Victor and Laura stressed, such as the fact that the world is changing and therefore change within religious celebrations are inevitable. Also they both conveyed the importance of family during the holiday seasons, and appreciating what one has. Seeing these similarities between both secular and religious celebrations has certainly helped me to appreciate holidays for what they are and what joy they bring to people.
Charlotte: Our two interviews were very inspiring and interesting as they both had different opinions and sides to the holidays. Victor’s responses to our questions were focused around his religious experiences growing up and at Santa Clara University, where he is a resident minister. He grew up like most Hispanic families and celebrated Christmas Eve as opposed to Christmas Day, something that I found very interesting as my family celebrates the actually day and we don’t do much on the eve. I found it very interesting to learn about his customs. I also learned about Advent (as I really am not religious at all and don’t know much about the religious basis of Christmas) and that churches are decorated in purple. However, at Santa Clara they decorate the church in blue. They also set up the church with the table (alter) in the center of the room and the chairs surround it in a circle. I found his comments about how the realization of the true religious meanings of Christmas vary by age, especially his comment about the fact that you cannot teach a child about Jesus’s birth, or, in relation to Easter, you cannot teach a small child about crucifixion. However, Santa or the Easter Bunny respectfully are good avenues for teaching about the religious meanings behind the popular holidays. I like that he is optimistic in hoping that Christmas will return to it’s roots. Victor never believed in Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc and looked more at the true meaning of the holiday. For him Christmas especially was a time for family and prayer. They would stay up all night together and say a prayer at midnight for Jesus. One of my favorite quotes from the interview is in relation to gift giving. When asked if he thought that people today have lost the true spirit of giving during Christmas and his thoughts on the gift-giving traditions of Christmas, he responded that “there shouldn’t be full blame on Wal-Mart of anything.” Victor provided good insight into the traditions and believes of someone religious in nature, as opposed to Laura who has a more secular view towards the holidays. She celebrates Christmas with family time and doesn’t really consider it a religious thing. It is more of a time to eat good food and be around people you love. She doesn’t believe that you have to recognize the religious aspects to be able to celebrate or enjoy the holiday, as long as you uphold your personal morals. Although she loves the gift-giving aspect, she realizes that she is fortunate to call that a part of her Christmas traditions and that the holiday is enjoyable without them. She believes that going to church just for Easter and Christmas shows a fake devotion and that the world as a whole has become more secular. Both interviews provided some great insight into two different viewpoints on classic and traditional holidays. Every family is different and does different things to celebrate the holiday seasons.
