How Christmas Changes for Americans As They Grow Up

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http://www.thewire.com/culture/2013/12/how-christmas-changes-americans-they-grow/356284/



Over 90 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, but the "How?" and "Why?" of those celebrations aren't quite as clear-cut as the "War on Christmas" brigades would have you believe. How you celebrated as a child has a huge influence on your approach as an adult, but some traditions have a stronger hold on today's grown-ups than others.



According to a pair of surveys out this week, just half of Americans see the holiday as a primarily religious one, and about a third of Americans mainly celebrate December 25th as a cultural day, according to Pew Research.

The Pew study also provides an interesting point of comparison: What do Americans remember doing on the Christmases of their childhoods, and what do they still do now, as adults?

The Hold-overs: Family and Presents

Pretty much everyone who celebrates Christmas today gathered with family and exchanged gifts as a child, too, laying the groundwork for adult life. Ninety-one percent of Americans remember gathering with family and friends as a typical part of Christmas, and 86 percent plan on doing the same thing this year. And 89 percent remember buying gifts for friends and family during a typical Christmas season, while 86 percent will do it this year, too. Fewer Americans with incomes under $30,000 plan on buying gifts this year: Only about 3/4 of low income Americans will do so.

[liberal N proud]

1. The army (media) against the war on Christmas are focusing on the 32%

Saw a few moments of the news this AM (ABC) and all they talked about was the 32% being evidence that the religious meaning of Christmas is being lost.

Once again the propaganda telling only one side of the story.