It certainly isn’t universal but members of religions other than Christianity and also atheists often express reservations about celebrating Christmas in the traditional sense. Other religions and cultures sometimes invent or play up their own holidays to have something to celebrate during the biggest holiday season.
Isn’t it time that we acknowledge that Christmas has two components and the parts that most people think of and spend the vast majority of their holiday time on are not religious. Christmas trees, Santa Clause, snowmen, gift giving, and many other popular images of Christmas have nothing directly to do with Jesus or Christianity. Shouldn’t we make it clear that all cultures and religions (or lack thereof) should feel no guilt about celebrating in these traditional Christmas activities? It is open to everyone.
Christmas does have a second side that is tied to Christianity of course but religious folks could just call that component “celebrating the birth of Christ” which is what it is. Christmas isn’t even the most important holiday in Christianity. That honor belongs to Easter to celebrate what is really key in the religion. Even among Christians, it is the secular side of Christmas that has pushed it to the forefront greatly as our most popular, long, and consumer driven holiday season. I don’t see what is wrong with separating out two completely different themes and including everyone in the big one.
I realize that some of this has creeped slowly into different cultures already but isn’t it time that we open up the closet and stop calling it a mainly Christian holiday season?
Shagnasty: I completely agree. I have been celebrating the non-religious side of Christmas for a good part of my life. Since 1987 I have celebrated Christmas as Triumph of Capitalism over Communism.
To me Christmas incorporates so many pagan elements, and commercial elements that the birth of Christ part has already been pushed aside.
As South Park likes to point out, Santa Claus is vastly more popular than the baby Jesus to Christmas. Mistletoe harkens back to the ancient Druids and to the Norse. The Christmas tree itself is of unknown origin but likely a survivor of Germanic Winter Solstice celebrations. The Yule log is pagan, tracing to Norse, Germanic, Celtic and I believe even Finnish sources.
Hong Kong & Japan celebrate Christmas to a large degree with all the non-christian parts. Candy Canes, Trees, Santa, Stars and lots and lots of lights.
I don’t think we can get away with a name change. That is sort of the situation we are in now. Some Jewish people had to take a minor Jewish holiday and push and transform it so that it looks like Christmas a bit. Black people just flat-out made up some stuff. It just goes from there. There is no need for it. It is a perfectly good secular holiday that can include everyone. The “Christ” part of the word Christmas automatically gets obscured in most people’s mind anyway. If it is brought up, there can just be a historical nod to the way the holiday evolved over time. I wouldn’t mind celebrating “BuddaFest” for example if they had a cool holiday in a s similar role.
Sorry, if you want to celebrate “BuddhaFest,” go to Hungary. They celebrate BuddhaFest in Budapest.
As for Christmas, I don’t suppose you can count me as one of the Christians who gets irritated at the secularization of an important religious holiday. I can celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus, you can celebrate Christmas however you want to. I’m not about to cry foul because some folks celebrate a holiday celebrating peace, love, and joy differently than I do.
I will, however, cry foul at the commercialization of Christmas. But then again, I dislike commercialization in general, so it’s not very particular to the Holiday Season.
Just for the Record:
Christmas was a crass commercial move by the Church to co-opt the far more ancient Winter Solstice celebration. According to church teachings and history, Christmas itself is not really a very important religious holiday. Easter is the really important holiday you should defend from commercialization.
Count me in as a nonbeliever who doesn’t think twice about celebrating christmas. I always wondered why others had a problem with it. Sure, it used to be a christian holiday. Now it isn’t, at least not predominately, so let’s all buy presents for each other, religious or no. I mean, the early christians didn’t have any problem co-opting saturnalia, did they?
Your two latter sentences are dead on. Your first sentence is not. While there is a certain level of co-opting involved with the coincidence of Christmas and the Feast of Sol Invictus, there were enough other elements in the selection of the date that the idea of a simple “Let’s take over their feast” has been pretty well demolished. (Not that it played no part in the eventual decision, but there is no evidence that it was a primary motive.)
Do you make a point of refering to the Thanksgiving or Independence Day “feasts” or “time off work days”? Or do you use the now fully corrupted word holiday (holy day)? I suspect that the laments of the “Put Christ back into Christmas” crowd are doomed to disappear into the collective madness of shopping and partying and that soon the link between the word Christmas and the phrase “Christ’s Mass” (which, itself, would make most Baptists and Assembly of God folks shudder if they paused to reflect on it) will be fully sundered.
I further suspect that the word is already way more “family gathering” than “relgious observance” for the overwhelming majority of the population, regardless of etymology. (Heck, they play and televise SHUDDER football on the day. No one broadcasts football games on Easter.)
To be honest I do not fully understand the objections that people have celebrating secularized Christmas. My Jewish roommates decorated the outside of our house with lights and a wreath. They also want a tree but I objected. Being the only guy in the house I already know how this would turn out. The situation does bring up an interesting point. What is so bad about decorating a house and putting up a tree? It is not like you are going to church or anything. It is also a hell of a lot better, IMHO, than putting up a Hanukah bush that is 8 feet tall. Nothing quite blew my mind like walking into the homes of my Jewish friends while growing up and being greeted by a Hanukah bush taller than my own family’s Christmas tree. I always had tremendous respect for the folks who just put up a tree and a menorah. Seemed to make a lot more sense. Anyway, it would be more interesting if everyone just secularized it and added their own touch like we do with Thanksgiving. There is a lot of potential for creating some very nice traditions. Let’s face it; there is nothing worse than a copycat holiday that steals names, centerpieces and traditions. (I’m talking to you Kwanzaa…seriously though, you’ve got to be kidding me)
Could you link to some explanation of this. I thought the Co-Opting of various popular holidays of the time was an important part of assigning the December 25th date to Christmas. This idea has been repeated numerous times in books and TV specials on A&E and History channel. I would like for my ignorance to be removed if what you say is true.
It’s well-acknowledged. I don’t see the need for public proclamations on the subject from churches and government. Christians can celebrate their holiday as they see fit and I can celebrate mine as I like (we have three trees, personal solstice rituals and any number of false deities we are happy to ignore).
If somebody wants to plaster their car with “Jesus Is The Reason For The Season” bumper stickers, OK by me (around here, it’s almost a welcome break from “Go Buckeyes!”).
no cite but on a doc I watched recently it suggested half the impetus came from the pagans wanting to carry on enjoying themselves by paying lip service.
In my opinion, Kwanzaa is a fine example of supplementing the “Christmas” season. It’s celebrated between Christmas & New Year’s Day. Many people are off work; the kids are out of school. For many Christian families, there’s a “let down” after the holiday; the presents have been opened & the stores are having post-Christmas sales. (This Cafeteria-Lapsed-Catholic likes the 12 Days of Christmas concept.) Non-Christians may feel “left out.” (Or they might be enjoying the time off without serious any obligations.)
Kwanzaa is a chance for African-Americans to celebrate–no matter what their religion. I believe commercialization was downplayed from the beginning.
This pause before the beginning of the new year is a fine time for anyone to prepare for the new year. But people shouldn’t get all depressed because their celebration is not the Norman Rockwell sort. If sleeping late & reviewing favorite DVD’s works for you, go ahead & enjoy yourself!
