Christmas
What is Christmas?
Christmas is an annual Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ hence the name Christmas. This holiday is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians worldwide.
When is Christmas?
Christmas is celebrated on December 25, Christmas Day. This was also the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar.
Additionally, many people also celebrate the evening before Christmas, which is called Christmas Eve. The day after Christmas Day, December 26, is called Boxing Day and is a holiday celebrated by Kiwi's.
But did you know that Some Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6 and 7 instead?
Celebrating Christmas
Christmas is celebrated in different ways around the world. Many Christians attend church services to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and many non-Christians celebrate Christmas as a family holiday. Eating and drinking, being together with your loved ones and the Christmas spirit (peace on Earth) are central themes. Light in dark days is also a Christmas theme worldwide, but not in New Zealand as it is summer during Christmas.
Among the many ways people celebrate Christmas in New Zealand, some well-known examples are the placing and decorating of the Christmas tree – either the traditional North-European Christmas tree or the local Pohutukawa, setting up a Nativity scene or miniature Christmas village, caroling or listening to Christmas songs, eating a Christmas lunch together – a barbeque with roast turkey or other meats, seafood and fruits is a favorite - and the giving and receiving of gifts. The latter is usually done by drawing names and buying a fitting gift for each other, without letting it be known who gave which gift. This is also referred to as a Secret Santa.
Some people also celebrate Christmas in July. The event is centered around Christmas-themed activities with the goal of getting in the spirit of Christmas during July. Christmas in July does not replace Christmas in December, but is enjoyed as an extra celebration.
What is Secret Santa?
Exchanging gifts and having fun is what Secret Santa is all about! Secret Santa involves drawing names from a hat and secretly buying a gift for the person whose name you’ve drawn.
Secret Santa is an excellent formula for time filled with fun, laughter and happiness. There’s always the anticipation of “who will be my Secret Santa?”, which is always a fun surprise!
And did you know that Secret Santa originates from early Christmas traditions? The original ‘Secret Santas’ were the gift-bearing helpers of St. Nick. You can read more about the different forms of Secret Santa in this blog. For more Secret Santa inspiration and Secret Santa gift ideas be sure to check out these Secret Santa Ideas. You can even set up a Secret Santa gift exchange without email on the drawnames Secret Santa App.
Secret Santa rules
The first step to a Secret Santa is to determine who will participate, and then draw names. You can draw names from a hat, but it is much easier and more convenient to use drawnames.co.nz for this. After that, you will buy each other gifts. If you use our website, you can add a wish list. This way, it is easy to buy a gift for your target using the integrated gift finder. Finally, the last step is to get together and exchange the gifts. You can find more detailed rules for Secret Santa.
Celebrate Christmas safely
We understand it’s hard to make plans this year – but drawnames.co.nz can help! You can now draw names during a video call. Plus, you can provide postal addresses to send each other gifts.
Happy holidays!