--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every Christmas now for years, I have…" description: "\"Every Christmas now for years, I have found myself wondering about the point of the celebration. As the holiday has become more ecumenical and secular,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/whitley-strieber-23318_celebration_every-christmas-now-for-years-i-have-fou_2652153.jpg" --- # Every Christmas now for years, I have found myself… ![“Every Christmas now for years, I have found myself wondering about the point of the celebration. As the holiday has become more ecumenical and secular, it has lost much of the magic that I remember so fondly from childhood.” quote by Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/whitley-strieber-23318_celebration_every-christmas-now-for-years-i-have-fou_2652153.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/whitley-strieber-23318_celebration_every-christmas-now-for-years-i-have-fou_2652153.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/whitley-strieber-23318_celebration_every-christmas-now-for-years-i-have-fou_2652153.jpg) > “Every Christmas now for years, I have found myself wondering about the point of the celebration. As the holiday has become more ecumenical and secular, it has lost much of the magic that I remember so fondly from childhood.” [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Secularization has stripped Christmas of its childhood wonder, making it feel less magical. **In simple terms:** Secular holidays lose original magic. Key Takeaway Seek personal meaning in traditions. Themes tradition secularism nostalgia meaning culture Mood reflective melancholic hopeful Type cultural personal When to use this quote - family gatherings - personal reflection - cultural studies Key Concepts cultural shift personal ritual holiday fatigue Questions to Reflect On - How can you revive personal magic? - What new traditions can you create? A Different Perspective Nostalgia can diminish holiday joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Celebration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebration/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Secular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secular/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [I got my first guitar for Christmas when I was five years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-becker/i-got-my-first-guitar-for-christmas-when-i-was-five-years-old/) [Jason Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-becker/) > [“I’ve thought about you a lot over these years, been wondering about you. That’s what you do in here … think and wonder. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-ve-thought-about-you-a-lot-over-these-years-been-wondering-about/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“You can sit around for years wondering “What if I had gone the other way” and you will never have a true answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-d-davis/you-can-sit-around-for-years-wondering-what-if-i-had-gone-the-other/) [L.D. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-d-davis/) > [“We've got all night to make up for years of wondering about it." - Butler”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-porter/we-ve-got-all-night-to-make-up-for-years-of-wondering-about-it-butler/) [Cat Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-porter/) > [I think the most important part of the teenage years is wondering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-abstract/i-think-the-most-important-part-of-the-teenage-years-is-wondering/) [Kevin Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-abstract/) > [I have been working for over 30 years and am always wondering about where I am and where I am going. It does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maira-kalman/i-have-been-working-for-over-30-years-and-am-always-wondering-about/) [Maira Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maira-kalman/) > [Nietzsche's ideas and plans: for example, the idea of giving up the whole wretched academic world to form a secular monastic community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/nietzsche-s-ideas-and-plans-for-example-the-idea-of-giving-up-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [You have to be closer to religious origins -- the generation of the 20's was truly secular in that it still knew its theology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-douglas/you-have-to-be-closer-to-religious-origins-the-generation-of-the-20-s/) [Ann Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-douglas/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The only difference between a Religious Humanist and a Secular Humanist is what they do on Sunday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-edwords/the-only-difference-between-a-religious-humanist-and-a-secular/) Fred Edwords > [Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just Government instituted to secure & perpetuate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/rulers-who-wished-to-subvert-the-public-liberty-may-have-found-an/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [My parents were born into a secular country. They met in Turkey's top medical school, moved to America in the nineteen-seventies, and became researchers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/my-parents-were-born-into-a-secular-country-they-met-in-turkey-s-top/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) ## More by Whitley Strieber > [“Whomever or whatever the visitors are, their activities go far beyond a mere study of mankind. They are involved with us on very deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/whomever-or-whatever-the-visitors-are-their-activities-go-far-beyond/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [A real stunner. Want to get swept up on a journey you will never forget and never quite escape? Open THE RITUAL OF ILLUSION…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/a-real-stunner-want-to-get-swept-up-on-a-journey-you-will-never/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [“I think he's wonderful and strange and kind of like a poem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-think-he-s-wonderful-and-strange-and-kind-of-like-a-poem/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [In them was not the savage blankness of the reptile species. Instead there was something far worse - burning, unquenchable rage mixed with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/in-them-was-not-the-savage-blankness-of-the-reptile-species-instead/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [Everytime someone ends a prayer in the Western world they say Amen - that is the name of an Egyptian god associated with completion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/everytime-someone-ends-a-prayer-in-the-western-world-they-say-amen/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [I became entirely given over to extreme dread. The fear was so powerful that it seemed to make my personality completely evaporate... 'Whitley' ceased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-became-entirely-given-over-to-extreme-dread-the-fear-was-so/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [I put the copy of 'A Christmas Carol' that my grandfather had first read to me 60 years ago on my desk, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-put-the-copy-of-a-christmas-carol-that-my-grandfather-had-first/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [In a reality made of energy, thoughts may literally be things. What if it was intended that we create our own realities after death?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/in-a-reality-made-of-energy-thoughts-may-literally-be-things-what-if/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [I wondered if I might not be in the grip of demons, if they were not making me suffer for their own purposes, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-wondered-if-i-might-not-be-in-the-grip-of-demons-if-they-were-not/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [Why were my visitors so secretive, hiding themselves behind my consciousness. I could only conclude that they were using me and did not want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/why-were-my-visitors-so-secretive-hiding-themselves-behind-my/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [The upheavals of adolescence silenced 'A Christmas Carol' for a few years. I became a firebrand atheist. Christmas - humbug! Too commercial! Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/the-upheavals-of-adolescence-silenced-a-christmas-carol-for-a-few/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [No doubt, I wont be believed, and thats all right, because, in a sense, it leaves me free in ways that belief would not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/no-doubt-i-wont-be-believed-and-thats-all-right-because-in-a-sense-it/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [“This time, there was the ghost of a reptile in Szatson's smile. 'I don't handle little problems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/this-time-there-was-the-ghost-of-a-reptile-in-szatson-s-smile-i-don-t/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [“If I look into the wings, I can see Mom standing like a statue, Medea or Lady Macbeth, one of those tragic horrors, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/if-i-look-into-the-wings-i-can-see-mom-standing-like-a-statue-medea/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [I'm not so sure that horror should be dismissed as something less than literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-m-not-so-sure-that-horror-should-be-dismissed-as-something-less/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) [Explore all 26 Whitley Strieber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) ## More Celebration quotes > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Missouri has a rich history and diverse heritage that deserves a proper celebration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/missouri-has-a-rich-history-and-diverse-heritage-that-deserves-a/) [Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/) > [Every day we have a special reason to make a good celebration! And that reason is our very existence!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-day-we-have-a-special-reason-to-make-a-good-celebration-and/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“At the water's edge, barrels of pitch blazed like huge bonfires. Their reflection, crimson as the rising moon, crept to meet us in long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/at-the-water-s-edge-barrels-of-pitch-blazed-like-huge-bonfires-their/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [One of my earliest memories is being backstage at 'Bran Nue Dae' in Darwin when I was about eight. It's such a fun, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/one-of-my-earliest-memories-is-being-backstage-at-bran-nue-dae-in/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [God does not ask your ability Or your inability. He asks only your availability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/god-does-not-ask-your-ability-or-your-inability-he-asks-only-your/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [My 'Idea of India' calls not just for tolerance, but a celebration of all points of view. Where the sensibilities of every individual are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/my-idea-of-india-calls-not-just-for-tolerance-but-a-celebration-of/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Growing up, there were a lot of funerals that I attended, and the adults at the funerals went out of their way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/growing-up-there-were-a-lot-of-funerals-that-i-attended-and-the/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [So your life becomes a vital celebration, your relationship becomes a festive thing. Whatsoever you do, every moment is a festival. You eat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-your-life-becomes-a-vital-celebration-your-relationship-becomes-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [What I love about the East End is that there's a great perseverance, determination and courage. What I dislike about it is that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-marsan/what-i-love-about-the-east-end-is-that-there-s-a-great-perseverance/) [Eddie Marsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-marsan/) > [“This was the image Angeline had of him at the time; always moving to the edges of some sort of celebration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-coplin/this-was-the-image-angeline-had-of-him-at-the-time-always-moving-to/) [Amanda Coplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-coplin/) > [People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/people-of-our-time-are-losing-the-power-of-celebration-instead-of/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [Thinking about writing as an act of celebration is sometimes a helpful framework for me. It allows me to prioritize what I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/thinking-about-writing-as-an-act-of-celebration-is-sometimes-a/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hannah/tolerance-and-celebration-of-individual-differences-is-the-fire-that/) Tom Hannah [Browse all 963 Celebration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every Christmas now for years, I have found myself wondering about the point of the celebration. 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