"I’m always bemused by those few who think that this time of year has always been and should only be about the celebration of their personal savior's birth -- those publicly decrying others who shamefully celebrate the season for other reasons or in a more secular fashion. The spirit of the holiday is being lost in the name of the spirit of the holiday.
Actually, their early church came late to the game -- usurping the sacred time and traditions of Druids, Romans, Scandinavians, and myriad other cultures celebrating the winter solstice -- that yearly turning point, bringing promise of the renewal of the cycle of life.
I say, keep the win in winter.
It must be the agrarian mother cultist in me."Hear, hear! Yes, I do celebrate Christmas. But the thing is…
First of all, the Santa Claus holiday has nothing to do with religion and, frankly, it annoys the heck out of me when people put up a Christmas tree, open presents and act like they're taking some kind of a stand for Christianity. The Santa holiday is secular, for all to celebrate, and doesn't mean you're endorsing any religious beliefs. It's about good will, for crying out loud, and everyone can support that, surely!
And, while we're at it, Christmas isn't a big Christian holiday. Easter is the big one. Christmas celebrates Jesus being born, and everybody was born. If you believe that Jesus was who he said he was, then what you want to celebrate is the fact that he overcame death. (See, not everybody does that.) I've read that we actually started celebrating Christ's birth because there were all kinds of celebrations going on around the Winter Solstice anyway, and either we wanted to get in on the party or were trying a little under-the-table proselytizing. ("You have a party in December? You must be Christian! No, really, that's when Christians have parties, so….")
And, yes, okay, I can understand my friend Barry's objection to "holiday trees," and "holiday parties" that just happen to coincide with the Christmas season. He's Jewish and pretty religious, and he's not offended by other people celebrating Christmas but he doesn't celebrate it himself, not even when it's thinly disguised as non-Christian. His response to the reasoning in that first paragraph above is that the basis for Christmas is Christian. He gets that it's largely secular now, just like Valentine's Day or Halloween, but can't bring himself to join in. I can respect that, but…(keep reading).
Finally, could we all agree, no matter what our spiritual beliefs are, that it's nice to have one month a year when people think they ought to be nice to each other? Can we all get behind that? If you celebrate a holiday during that time, great. Happy whatever-is-appropriate-to-your-beliefs. If you don't celebrate any other holidays, then call it End of the Year Time of Reflection, or Beginning of a New Year of Hope and Opportunity. Just don't get your nose out of joint because other people don't believe the same thing you do.
As long as we all agree that the calendar changes and a new year starts in January, it's a worldwide holiday. Everybody gets to play. So unpucker and show a little good will.
