Christmas

Christmas is a complicated topic. There are those who would disagree with this assessment, and argue that it is a straightforward religious holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

In present-day America, Christmas is a federal holiday, and in many ways the biggest holiday of the year, celebrated to at least some extent by many non-Christians as well as Christians. It is a major economic event, largely due to the purchase and exchange of Christmas gifts, but also because of Christmas traveling, Christmas decorating, and Christmas celebrating.

Especially in recent years, controversies have erupted over the extent to which Christmas -- ostensibly a religious holiday -- is celebrated in our secular society, including our public schools and other public buildings and lands. At one time, most public schools in the United States acknowledged Christmas with decorations and Christmas programs featuring students singing Christmas songs, but this is changing, sometimes replacing religious songs with secular ones. It is easy enough to focus on the secular aspect, since a prominent feature of American Christmas is Santa Claus delivering presents to all the good little girls and boys -- which is not overtly connected to anyone's birth in a manger.

It is tempting to state that Christmas has evolved away from a purely Christian holiday, but the fact is that it most likely never was a purely Christian holiday. Many theologians doubt that Jesus was actually born on December 25, and it is widely believed that the Christian holiday was superimposed upon previously-existing holidays, especially the Roman festival of Saturnalia. Many of the things now considered to be traditional aspects of Christmas -- things such as decorating with evergreens and mistletoe -- seem to be descended from totally non-Christian midwinter celebrations.

In the last century, commercialization has transformed the observance of Christmas. For example, though we still sing of "The Twelve Days of Christmas", few Americans today realize that the song refers to the period of time BEGINNING on December 25th. With the emphasis on shopping for gifts, many now view the "Christmas Season" as ending on December 25th -- though since the celebration of Christmas has somewhat been combined with the celebration of the New Year, the "Holiday Season" may extend to January 1.

This business about "the Christmas Season" happens to be a pet peeve of mine. I do not believe in taking down my Christmas decorations prior to January 6 -- "Epiphany" -- at the earliest, and I sometimes do not put them up much before December 25. This puts me "out of sync" with my neighbors -- many of whom put up their decorations in November, and remove them by December 26, or perhaps January 1.

Yet another factor that complicates the idea of Christmas in our society is that Christmas is a traditional time for family gatherings, and represents a milestone in our lives. People who are terminally ill, as well as their loved ones, hope they can survive "until Christmas". Christmas is a time when we miss our homes and our loved ones, especially those who have recently died.

The complicated nature of Christmas in our society guarantees that each of us will view the season from a different perspective, ranging from a deeply religious holiday to a strictly commercial event to simply a major disruption in the normal routine. Anyone who claims that Christmas is solely one of these things is ignoring the reality and diversity of our lives.

This brief discussion barely scratches the surface. Whether we like it or not, Christmas is a major event for contemporary American society, and a magical, spiritual time for many. We are bound together by our stories, songs, and traditions of Christmas, and by our memories, good and bad. As for the controversies over school programs with children singing Christmas carols and people saying "Merry Christmas", I blame extremists on both sides for finding ways to quarrel over what most agree should be, if anything, a time of peace, sharing, and love, regardless of your own religious beliefs.

Truth is complicated. Merry Christmas to all!