Christmas: The Most Joyous Holiday I.

Introduction (Deductive, Statement of Reasons)

a. *Imagine yourself sitting with your family by a decorated Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, with white snow outside.* i. That great scene you just imagined is how Christmas is, a time of great family time and joy. b. Christmas has a history that dates way back into history, being around even before the rise of the Roman Empire. i. Used to be festival celebrated by Pagans in antiquity, but eventually Christians absorbed the celebration. (Cyril 2) ii. Today, I believe Christmas has transcended into a cultural holiday as well as a religious one, and am going to be arguing my point from this perspective. c. Thesis i. Christmas, celebrated in December, in one of the most joyous holidays on Earth due to what it represents, how its celebrated, and the tradition of giving and receiving.

II. What Christmas Represents

a. For Christians, it technically represents the birth of Jesus Christ, but for most people it represents more than this. (Christmas on the Net 1) b. It also represents good will towards others, caring, kindness, and helping those less fortunate than you. (Encyclopedia of Food and Culture 1) i. These are things most people see as very positive and bring a lot of people around the world joy, both those receiving and giving. c. *Helping others and being kind to them makes both them and you happy, and creates joy all around the world.* d. It is also a time of a lot of celebration, festivities, and family time and most people enjoy all these things.

III. How Christmas is Celebrated

a. Christmas music is often very joyous and spirited, promoting happiness in people. .,.i. Play examples of some music like Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, Here Comes Santa Claus, etc. ii. *This type of music creates a feeling of celebration and joy in people.* b. Christmas is a time where people decorate their homes with colorful lights, ornamented Christmas trees, and various Christmas themed decorations. (Beaulieu 1) i. Have pictures of some Christmas trees and other various decorations. ii. This also adds to the holiday effect, and gets people in the mood for celebrating Christmas and puts them in a good mood, unless of course they really hate Christmas music. In that case you should try to not play it when they are around. iii. Christmas sweaters are very festive and colorful, also adding to the sense of holiday time. c. Christmas is a time when families spend a lot of quality time together and this builds family ties. i. The tradition of giving and receiving makes everyone is your family happy to give gifts and receive gifts that they want. ii. Christmas is a time when family usually loves spending time together, even if they normally dont too much, and everyone is usually really nice to each other.

IV. The Tradition of Giving and Receiving

a. The tradition of giving and receiving gifts is huge in America, fueled by the story of Santa Claus, and comes from the older European tradition based on St. Nick. (Christmas History in America 1) b. *Getting gifts you want and giving gifts that others want makes everyone happy.* i. Makes everyone have a bunch of fun new things to do for awhile, which makes everyone happy as well.

c. Christmas allows for the opportunity to know how well you know someone by picking out a gift that they want and them liking it. i. Giving people things they want makes people happy, and getting things you want also makes you happy. d. Getting new things and playing around with them creates good will everywhere and everyone is nice because of this, giving away to various things for the less fortunate.

V. Conclusion
a. Play some quiet, classical Christmas music during this. b. Restate thesis. i. In conclusion, Christmas is in my opinion one of the most joyous holidays in the world because of what it celebrates, how it is celebrated, and giving and receiving gifts. c. Christmas represents good will, kindness, and caring towards others, which creates happiness all around. d. The way that Christmas is celebrated is generally very festive and makes most people very happy. It also leads to a lot of quality family time. e. The tradition of giving and receiving gifts on Christmas makes everyone happy to both get things that they want and give others things that they would enjoy. This also leads to good will all around. f. I hope this speech has shown you the joys of Christmas, and you can come to appreciate it in a similar way to the way I do.