What is The Christmas Spirit? (Origins & Meaning)

However, we can at least try to identify what causes us to feel the holiday cheer by looking at the most popular Christmas symbols, traditions, and their origins.

Some great examples of Christmas spirit manifestation can be observed in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and legends about Saint Nicholas.

Christmas spirit isn’t a physical being; it’s an allegorical representation of Christmas and the way we feel about it.

Some may say there’s no difference between ordinary joy and feeling the Christmas spirit.

Perhaps, such people have never experienced a real holiday cheer. A spoiler – science states that the Christmas spirit exists!

Ghost of Christmas Present

A great example of the Christmas spirit can be found in the famous A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens. It isn’t a specific description but rather a scope of actions and features inherent to the characters of the book.

To understand why the Ghost of Christmas Present perfectly represents the Christmas spirit, we shall first look at the absolute opposite of merriness and cheer – the carol’s main character Ebenezer Scrooge.

In response to a charitable donation, Scrooge wonders whether prisons are still open for those who seek charity and even advises such people to die to decrease the surplus population.

Scrooge doesn’t care about his workers either. He refuses to provide them with anything but a small fire to keep them warm in winter.

Even worse, Scrooge strives to refuse his workers a day off on Christmas. And even after agreeing to give them a day off, Scrooge requests them to come in earlier the next day.

In other words, Ebenezer Scrooge certainly doesn’t embody the Christmas spirit – he is greedy, insensitive, and unfriendly.

But when he comes home on Christmas Eve, he is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present that helps to change his attitude.

The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge around the town, showing him how both wealthy and poor, old and young, celebrate Christmas together with cheer and gratitude.

People share and care about each other, and only Scrooge remains alone.

This moment from A Christmas Carol accurately identifies one of the Christmas spirit meanings. Christmas spirit embodies unity, gratitude, and sharing.

The Ghost of Christmas Present was based on Father Christmas, an ancient British winter holiday personification.

Unlike Santa Claus, Father Christmas wasn’t associated with gift-giving. Instead, he was a relatively young and cheerful man ruling over celebratory feasts.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus or his origin Saint Nicholas can be justifiably considered another embodiment of the Christmas spirit.

His figure represents generosity without the desire to get anything back, generosity that comes from the bottom of one’s heart.

Saint Nicholas was a bishop in Myra. Legends tell his gift-givers and Christmas symbol path started when he decided to secretly drop a bag of gold down a chimney to help a poor man who didn’t have any dowry for his daughters.

Although Saint Nicholas did a good deed, he didn’t want anyone to find out about it. He didn’t seek appreciation or gratitude. For this very sincerity, his figure was adapted into the main Christmas symbol all over the world.

Today, Santa Claus is mainly associated with gift-giving, but it isn’t only about material goods. It’s about sharing good cheer and striving to help others out whenever you can.

Christmas Decorations

You don’t necessarily have to learn the history of Saint Nicholas or read A Christmas Carol to understand the meaning of the Christmas spirit. Instead, you can look around at Christmas time. What do you see?

Perhaps, your living room is decorated with garlands and Christmas wreaths, with balsam fir adorned with Christmas lights being in the spotlight.

That’s the easiest example of the Christmas spirit, intelligible even to the smallest children.

Both figuratively and literally speaking, during the winter months, people seek light and await the arrival of spring. Christmas lights and evergreen plants give us this light and the hope for the soon awakening of nature.

Christmas decorations are the very embodiment of the Christmas spirit, driving away from the imagery of gloomy, dark, cold winter months. They bring cheer and merriness to every home.

Pagan Connection

Some historians believe that Christmas was invented to replace the pagan festivals of the winter solstice.

This theory makes sense, as Christmas was first celebrated in the fourth century in Rome on the same dates as the winter solstice festival Saturnalia.

Regardless of whether Emperor Constantine introduced Christmas with devious intent, we indeed share numerous Christmas traditions with pagan holidays, and the Christmas spirit may have pagan connections, too.

One of such customs is ringing bells. Pagans did this to scare away evil spirits and attract the spirits of light during winter solstice celebrations. Today, the sound of bells indicates the arrival of Christmas.

Another tradition that started with the purpose of pleasing the spirits is orchard wassailing. Celtic Druids used to sing to cider apple trees in the orchards to attract the spirits of a good harvest.

Over time, this tradition has transformed into house-visiting wassailing or caroling. When we see carolers on our doorstep, we experience cheer arising from the understanding that Christmas has arrived.

Traditions that make us feel the presence of Christmas may be the very embodiment of the Christmas spirit, along with Santa Claus and holiday decorations.

But while pagans observed them to please the spirits, we do this to welcome the Spirit in our homes.

Science Says Christmas Spirit is Real

A question that bothers many minds is – is the Christmas spirit real? Science can help us find the answer.

The Christmas spirit definition may be vague, and some may think it’s just another name for the fleeting sensation of holiday cheer appearing from dazzling decorations, shopping, and eggnog.

But some scientists disagree, believing that the Christmas spirit is real and measurable.

In 2015, a Dutch scientist Brad Haddock conducted a functional MRI study, seeking to find evidence of the Christmas spirit network in the human brain.

He showed Christmas pictures to two groups of people, one who did not celebrate the holiday and the other one that did. While looking at the pictures, respondents underwent a brain scan.

The results were astonishing – Brad detected clusters of bold activation in the sensory-motor cortex in the second group. This brain part is associated with spirituality, somatic senses, and recognition of facial emotion.

Simply put, the study has shown that people who celebrate Christmas, in fact, can experience a unique feeling of holiday cheer that is different from any other emotion.

Some researchers also suggest that the feeling of Christmas cheer goes beyond imagery and gift-giving.

The Christmas spirit is emphasized by family bonding and other social interactions. And with this, we return to our first example of Christmas spirit embodiment, the ghost of Christmas Present.

What Defines The Christmas Spirit?

So, what is the Christmas spirit all about? After reviewing several examples of the Christmas spirit, we can finally attempt to define it.

It’s the feeling of hope, joy, and cheer arising from observing Christmas decorations, hearing carols and bells, or sensing the fragrance of balsam fir and tangerines.

Christmas spirit also arrives when we share and care about others, participating in charity or gift-giving without seeking anything in return.

Even a simple, genuine interest in how your close ones feel can bring in the Christmas spirit.

Perhaps, the closest Christmas spirit synonym is holiday cheer. Holiday cheer is a real sensation of happiness that occurs in our brain when we think of Christmas.

It’s everywhere around us, encouraging us to do good deeds and feel merry.

How to Bring The Christmas Spirit in?

Christmas spirit may have a slightly different meaning for each of us. However, certain rituals linked with Christmas can help nearly anyone experience the holiday cheer.

Many people start their Christmas preparations by cleaning the house. The idea is to leave all worries behind together with unnecessary things and dust, welcoming the Christmas spirit, new experiences, and positive emotions on your doorstep.

Scented candles and candles, in general, are of great help in bringing in the holiday mood. They add light to dark and cold winter months, make our home cozier, and carry a deeply religious significance.

Perhaps, the best way to experience the Christmas spirit is to spend some quality time with your loved ones. Nothing creates a Christmas atmosphere better than talks with family and friends beside a crackling fire.

Socializing isn’t limited to gathering with family, though. Go outside – visit busy Christmas markets, the local church, or an ice rink. When many people come together, Christmas cheer is multiplied.

Any good deed is a proven method of bringing in the Christmas spirit – not only to yourself but also to the one you’re helping. It can provide someone with hope and make them believe in the good in people.

Remember that good deeds aren’t always money-related. Tell someone a compliment, help a granny cross the road, or provide moral support to one who needs it. It’s about sharing the mood in the first place.