So this is Christmas…

Today is Christmas, one of the most important dates for all the Christians around the world, and I am sure that it is a special time for many of you too. So, I thought it would be a good idea that the post of today was dedicated to this date.

As many of you already know, Christmas is the annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the narrative delineated in the New Testament, known as the Nativity of Jesus. According to it Jesus was born in Bethlehem and his birth is in accordance with the messianic prophecies.

It is a very common theme in Western Religious Art. Many artists choose to represent it in accordance with the bible, depicting the baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph in the stable in company of animals and, sometimes, angels. However, it’s less common to see depiction of how people celebrate this moment with their families, and I think that this other side of Christmas is very interesting too, since in each country is commemorated in a different way.

Christmas at home by Grandma Moses
(Photo credit: WikiArt)

I found these two painting by Grandma Moses in which she shows two different moments of this festivity: the first one shows us a family reunited in the living room, with the Christmas tree and all the decoration, the meal and even Father Christmas (Santa Claus) giving the presents to the children; while in the second one she takes us to the children’s bedroom, where we can see four children (some of them still asleep) willing for the Christmas morning, dreaming with this magical moment when they will wake up and find all the presents Father Christmas (Santa Claus) brought to them.

I got really happy to find these paintings. Grandma Moses tried to show how Christmas is in USA, her home, but I think these two aspects are not very different in other Christian houses around the globe this time of the year.