The subliminal message within all these slogans is all catered towards one group of individuals; those who celebrate Christmas.  It seems that those who decide to celebrate the more obscure December holidays are forced to hide from the public eye.        

As “the most wonderful time of year” is celebrated by Christians, other holidays are also occurring around the same time– Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, and St. Lucia Day (see page 16).

Why aren’t these holidays broadcasted and publicized? Even stores such as Target and Wal-Mart now have a more Christmas friendly angle with presents and bows in their advertisements and logos. “I celebrate Kwanzaa, which is more focused on culture and intrinsic values than presents,” said senior Chloe Saddler.  “I think the reason why Christmas is given so much emphasis is because of the way America has modernized the holiday.”

In fact, Christmas seems so advertised that it appears natural to adopt the modernized traditions of a Christmas tree and presents.  Those who celebrate Christmas may be gravitating away from the actual meaning of Christmas.

“People aren’t taking the real message of Christmas so seriously.  It is all about materialism instead of family matters,” said junior Colby Tucker.  “One of the core values in Christmas is equality, and it seems the exclusion of other holidays completely contradicts that.”

Additional reporting done by Divya Tewari