In Chile, Christmas has shifted from a noisy, community-oriented celebration in colonial times to a more intimate, home-based affair, shaped by urbanization and commerce. Experts note that despite secularization and criticisms of commercialization, core elements like family gatherings and thoughtful gifts endure.
Every December, Christmas in Chile evokes nostalgia for an idealized past, with criticisms of its increasing commercialization and loss of spirituality. However, as María Gabriela Huidobro, an academic at Universidad Andrés Bello, explains, 'social media has sparked a cultural debate promoted by some migrants in Chile, who look with surprise at the sobriety of our celebrations. Some tell us we are boring... In reality, Chilean Christmas was not always intimate or silent'.
Historically, December 25 commemorates Jesus's birth, tied to the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and Roman veneration of Sol Invictus. In colonial times and much of the 19th century, celebrations were social and popular: after the midnight mass, streets filled with music, dances, fireworks, and improvised stalls, resembling Fiestas Patrias more than today's Christmas Eve. Gifts were modest, such as fruits, flowers, homemade sweets, and basil bouquets, where the gesture mattered more than value.
Santa Claus only arrived in Chile in the 1940s. Over time, urbanization, modern work life, foreign influences, and commerce turned the holiday more domestic, orderly, and quiet. Chile has secularized, often forgetting the religious origins, but the human need to gather and share persists.
Today, what remains is the encounter: the shared table, modest or secret Santa gifts, and a pause to remember loved ones. As Huidobro reflects, beyond consumerism, it is personal gestures that give meaning to these dates, connecting us to deep Western traditions.
