Christmas

I’m going to write about what Christmas in Sweden is like and the positive and negative sides of this tradition. 

Christmas in Sweden is a very old tradition which we celebrate in memory of Jesus Christ’s birth. The 24th of December is usually the day we especially celebrate Christmas, when we open the presents and eat the Christmas dinner, and that day is called Christmas Eve. But from the first day of December we usually start planning and decorating the house, and preparing for the day. People usually decorate and prepare by putting out a Christmas tree, lights, candles and by making different cookies and buns, such as ginger bread and saffron buns. The whole Christmas celebration usually continues till 13th of January. 

Positive sides: 

I think you can consider Christmas as a very joyful and happy tradition that probably does a lot of good to a whole lot of people. It’s a time of year when the whole family gets together, you open presents, you have dinner, and you’re simply having a great time. 

Christmas is also something a lot of kids look forward to, and I think Christmas allows people to have dreams. Kids dream about Santa Claus and the presents and a lot of people look forward to gather and spend the day/night together. 

Negative sides:

Even though Christmas is a nice tradition and it brings joy to a lot of people, I think you could find some negative sides of this tradition as well. For example, a lot of people doesn’t have the money to go buy a tree, presents or anything else. I believe the children in these families could feel sad or lonely, especially when other kids in school talk about all the presents they’ve got. It can make you feel very sad or insecure. 

Another thing I think is negative with Christmas is that this tradition, that’s supposed to be joyful and happy, has almost turned into a competition. Of course, this is not the case for everyone, but a lot of people compete about who’s got the nicest decorations or the most expensive presents and so on, and I think that kind of ruins Christmas. Some people doesn’t see Christmas as a time where you can hang out and have fun, but they see it as a time where you get to brag about what you’ve got. 

To sum it up, Christmas has some negative effects, but I definitely think it’s a good tradition that we should hold on to. December is usually a dark and cold month, but having Christmas to look forward to can make it a whole lot easier!