Explaining Christmas to Non-Christians

I work for Sony and my boss is from Japan. As today is Christmas, I thought about trying to explain the holiday to him and what it really means. On the surface this must be a strange event for those that don't have a Christian foundation. The reality is that we have a lot of pagan traditions combined with Christian ones and it can be hard to figure out the source of this celebration.

Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Who is he and why is he so important? There is a lot that can be said to answer that question and it can be difficult to provide a quick summary but I'll give it a shot. Christ taught that no matter what we have done in the past, we can improve and become better people. Yes, there is a lot more that can be said, but that one sentence is something that non-Christians can understand. It is especially true for those in Japan as they have a culture of constant improvement.

As we close out this Christmas season, I hope we can all see past the commercialism that seems to overshadow this time of year and take a moment to think about why we celebrate this holiday. Your answer may be different than mine, but merely taking the time to think about why it is important is a good thought exercise. Your comments are welcome.