How Many Americans Actually Celebrate the Christmas Holiday?

The vast majority of Americans celebrate Christmas, even if few truly know the reason for the holiday.

A recently released LifeWay Research study found a whopping 91% of Americans, including non-Christians, exchange gifts and put up festive decorations around Christmastime—a percentage unchanged since 2010.

“Americans may celebrate the Christmas holiday in many different ways, but very few skip a Christmas celebration completely,” said LifeWay Research Executive Director Scott McConnell. “Even many of those who aren’t as familiar with the story of Jesus’ birth find ways to observe the holiday.”

As Faithwire’s Billy Hallowell reported on a recent episode of our daily podcast, not very many Americans are confident in their ability to accurately recall the biblical story of Christmas.

The LifeWay survey found only 22% believe they can recount the scriptural story of Jesus’ birth. Thirty-one percent said they can tell the biblical story sans some of the details, while another 25% said they could remember a quick overview, and 17% said they couldn’t tell the story at all.

McConnell noted that—although the biblical story has, of course, remained unchanged since it was first recorded—nearly half of Americans “do not think they could share the Christmas story somewhat accurately from memory.”

“Of all the Christmas programs churches offer in December, possibly the most important is simply reading the biblical account of the Christmas story itself,” he said.

Click here to read the biblical account of our Savior’s birth from Luke 2.

For the original article, visit our content partners at faithwire.com. {eoa}

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