Books for Further Reading
New old-fashioned ways: holidays and popular culture Santino, Jack. New old-fashioned ways: holidays and popular culture. Illustrated ed. N.p.: Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1996. 1-175. Web. 7 Dec. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=LOWtP0Nr2DoC&dq=commercialization+of+holidays&source=gbs_navlinks_s>.
Santino’s book analyzes how holidays are represented in many different aspects of popular culture. One particularly interesting focus is pre-packaged foods as related to holidays. Many snack foods are recreated to be themed for holidays such as Christmas and Halloween, which could reflect the values of our culture—even something as basic as food gets transformed for the holidays, showing how much Americans care about marketing and commercialization, especially for the holidays. It seems that popular culture representations of holidays have become more important in our society than religious representations.
Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays
Smith, Leigh E. Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays. Reprint ed. N.p.: Princeton University Press, 1997. 1-379. Web. 7 Dec. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=maF8mTPsJqsC&dq=sacredness+of+holidays&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s>.
In Consumer Rites, Schmidt takes a look at the history of holidays and their celebrations from the 18th century to the present and explains how their seemingly secular representations are actually spiritual in meaning. Traditions like gift-giving, sending cards, and making baked goods for the holidays are not as secular as they seem, and do have historical religious contexts. This book would provide interesting insight on the common assumption that the increasing commercialization of holidays automatically means that they are increasingly secularized as well.
Christmas in America
Restad, Penne L. Christmas in America a History. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print.
Christmas in America by Penne L. Restad is a book which covers the history of Christmas in America. Restad talks about the different aspects, both religious and secular, which have come together to form the Christmas our nation knows today. Being that Christmas is the most popular and celebrated holiday in the US and by far the most commercialized, this is an excellent source to learn more about how this Christian celebration have turned into the commercialized holiday that exists today.
Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism
Banchoff, Thomas F. Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Banchoff, Thomas F. Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Democracy and the new religious pluralism by Thomas F. Banchoff is a text which discusses the religious diversity of the United States and European countries, and what social/political controversies have surfaced as a result. As to not offend people of other faiths, many Christian holidays have adapted their customs to be more secularized in the US. Banchoff provides an interesting viewpoint into why such diversity has caused primarily Christian nations to moderate their celebrations, and how it’s played a part in the transition to secularization.
Miles, Clement A. Christmas Customs and Traditions: Their History and Significance. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1976. Web. 7 Dec. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1XRjAyL8LogC&oi=fnd&pg=PA5&dq=origins+of+christmas&ots=0xxCpWa9Yy&sig=DWIFFAAKtgh6q3oMXtmUV0reT0c#v=onepage&q&f=false>.
This book is another good source for information and it discusses the symbols and histories of Christmas, along with the significance of the holiday and what happens during it. This could help explain the need for the holiday to remain a religious event and not be secularized. The book frequently mentions Jesus, whom Christmas is celebrated for. By learning about the histories of the religions people get a better understanding of why they are celebrated and the true meaning. The real purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, not to give gifts and spend a lot of money as the holiday has come to be known.
Please Don't Wish Me A Merry Christmas: A Critical History of the Separation of Church and StateFeldman, Stephen M. Please Don't Wishe Me A Merry Christmas: A Critical History of the Separation of Church and State. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OgmO06LHLrIC&oi=fnd&pg=PP13&dq=origins+of+christmas&ots=tG5DEMj2rD&sig=DEExyTEP5xTP3mcWscXJvKMcs3I#v=onepage&q=origins%20of%20christmas&f=false>.
This book is a good source because it discusses the separation of church and state in America, always a hot button issue. Although this isn’t a main focus of our project, the secularization of such religious holidays such as Christmas is partially caused by the need for the separation of church and state. By making the holidays more religious in the public square, people are bringing religion into the lives of everyday people. In America today, this isn’t approved of, therefore constituting the need for secularization.
Websites
These two websites provide further insight on the topic of secular and commercial holidays. The first from godkind.org has a very extremist view, citing the Bible as its prominent source. It claims to provide the “truth” regarding religious and secular holidays including Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. According to this website, people must obey the historical, traditional, and most importantly Biblical ways of celebrating these holidays or else face the wrath of God. While our group does not take nearly as extreme of a stance, this website holds significance because it attempts to make a very strong claim on our topic. The sections about the truths of these different holidays claim that many people who celebrate pagan holidays are actually worshipping Satan, and those who celebrate religious holidays do so blindly and without any knowledge. This could have some validity, if not so harshly, as many people do actually celebrate holidays without having any real reason except to participate in the commercially driven festivities.
The second webpage is from the United Church of God: An International Association. The specific page listed here begins by questioning Christians’ true knowledge of holidays. God, or “the Creator of mankind,” outlines specific days of festivity and religious celebration through his scripture, and Christians are supposed to adhere to these, even though so many holidays have secular traditions nowadays. While many believe that the historical religious context of these holidays is directly linked to Christ thousands of years ago, this is actually not the entire truth. Therefore, it is not acceptable for Christians to simply ignore these religious roots and participate only in the secular/commercial aspects of holidays. This website provides information on what the Bible truly says about specific holidays, making it a good resource for anyone interested in the religious context of Christian holidays.
