The Reason for the Season

There is this "war" that creeps up every year in recent years about Christmas and who gets to celebrate it and what it is all about and where it came from. I, frankly, do not care what your reason is for celebrating, I think you should do it if you like. If you do not feel like celebrating, do not. It really is that simple, but it always has to get complicated with some people who want to own it and make people not in their group feel like the outsiders that those in said group want to believe that they are.

Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays

Last weeks Post Secret included the image that you see to your left. I think it is great and I tend to do just the same when confronted.

I was at a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert a few days ago and someone on the stage who represented a local radio station said, "Happy Holidays!"

Some guy behind me, apparently feeling uncomfortably awkward at the knowledge of the existence of human beings who may celebrate something other than his particular chosen December holiday, shouted, "Merry Christmas" as loud as he could muster.

I do not understand that mentality. I suspect that much of this comes from the media. Fox News for example has an entire section with a link at the top of their page dedicated to the War on Christmas. The guy in question, perhaps, is all fired up about something the character Bill O'Reilly said on The Factor.

Maybe this guy simply is not familiar with any other theology beyond the 'Christ' that is in Christmas. See, there are several gods who's birthdays were also celebrated on December 25th before the savior Jesus Christ came around. Attis, who was a Roman Pagan god was also coincidentally born of a virgin, had his birthday allegedly celebrated on December 25th approximately 200 BCE. Dionysus and Osiris who were respectively Greek and Egyptian versions of the same basic Pagan god were also celebrated December 25th. The Babylonians and Persians both also have gods/saviors who had births celebrated December 25th. There is also the celebration of winter festivals in many historical cultures around this time due to the lack of agricultural work and to bring in the coming Spring in hopes of good conditions to coincide.

The point is, that Christians can not lay claim to own December celebrations as THE celebrations that all must recognize with the alternative being that one may not celebrate at all. Commercial enterprise does not use Happy Holidays to exclude Christians, they do it to include everyone. Yet every year around this time I hear from at least a few that wish to minimize the ability of others participation in celebration. Personally, I do not see why an excuse is needed at all for celebration.

I Like Christmas

I do not believe that a guy named Yeshua who was born of Nazareth performed miracles in the dessert sometime in the early first century, but I still celebrate a holiday that I call Christmas. I tend to call it Xmas which is many times another unfound source of contention among those who might think me taking the 'Christ' out of Christmas but a designation which had really only come about because the letter 'X' was a legitimate substitution for Christ. I celebrate it because I like spending time with family. I like feasting with those I love. I like the music and the lights which originated from Greek celebrations of the New Year. I could do without the obligatory gift giving, but still participate in that aspect as well.

December can be a dark and despairing time of year. It is often cold and snowy leaving us all to catch cabin fever, so why not make the most of it? Why not feast and love and show extra compassion to those around you? Everyone is allowed their own reason to celebrate, or no reason at all if you choose, but I like the togetherness that is brought by this season and whether we call it Xmas, Saturnalia, Hanukka, Solstice, New Year, Festivus, Giftmas or something else entirely, I do not see myself relenting from some sort of celebration this season no matter who thinks I am not allowed to celebrate.