A harmless tradition that is actually a good thing.
For years now I have been hearing these stories about how Christmas dies a little more every year. Sure things change as time goes by and the tradition of Christmas in the US is no exception. Since it was first created, Christmas in the US has been evolving into what it is today. And to think that Christmas has only been around in the US for a little over 200 years.
But what exactly is Christmas? Well it all depends on your beliefs, from what part of the world you are from, from what you were taught as a child and/or your understanding of it. In the end they all have one thing in common, it’s all based around the celebration of a God, not necessarily Jesus. It seems that no matter how you look at it, no matter where exactly did it originate from, Christmas has a religious connection to it from the Christmas Tree, to the giving of gifts, to the big man himself Santa, to even the feasts that are made. Think about it, the entire concept is almost completely based on some kind of religious belief, a combination of many religious stories, figures and beliefs.
So I ask myself, with almost all aspects of Christmas being linked to some kind of religion, what is the big deal with the word Christmas? Let’s face it, all these stories I continue to hear today about how "Merry Christmas" almost seems to be banned in most public and commercial places is about the word Christmas. To say Merry Christmas to anyone is to wish them happiness in a time where family, friend and stranger togetherness is encouraged. A time where we all should look beyond skin color, nationality, social statues, disability, language, religious beliefs, political party (although all these should be considered 360 days a year not just for a month or 2).
Let’s look at some history to see why making a big deal of the word Christmas is as dumb as making a big deal for saying Happy Holidays.
Many, many centuries before the birth of the one called Jesus, people in Europe celebrated during December the winter solstice in recognition of the return of the Sun which some believed to be a God. In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden. In Rome they celebrated Saturnalia, a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. Pope Julius I chose December 25 to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia. Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th, which is also referred to as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day it is believed that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger (Some of this I copy/pasted from a site I will link at the end of this article). So Christmas has been in service since the Fifth Century. Interesting, it only took them over 400 years to pick a date to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I guess Treebeard, the giant talking tree in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, said it best when he said :
| "It takes a loong time to say anything in ooold… Entish. And we never say anything… unless it is worth taking a looong… time to say." |
To continue with history, in the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday. Christmas eventually made it to American shores. The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident. After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870. It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia.
So once again I repeat myself, what’s the big deal with "Merry Christmas"? Why after so many centuries of celebrating this traditional holiday, the US having over 300 years of it under it’s belt, are we making a big deal out of the word Christmas? I am Catholic, so I guess that makes me Christian, and I have the up most respect for other peoples beliefs (as longs as it doesn’t require a human sacrifice every once in a while). If Jews wish to celebrate Hanukah by lighting a Manorah as their tradition, cool, if African-Americans wish to celebrate Kwanzaa by lighting a Kinara, it OK, if Puertoricans want to celebrate Three Kings' Day so be it. I see no problem with any of them. I am not offended in any way. I wouldn’t mind getting involved and learning new cultures and share with them as a sign of friendship.
As I said in another article related to this same theme, if not for religious reasons, Christmas should be kept how it is for the kids. Christmas is children as history shows. And changing it for selfish reasons is just that, selfish. Maybe you might think it’s not big deal to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, maybe it wont affect you in any way and if this is so then why should it affect those who wish to change it? And if this has no affect on you period, then why have an opinion about what we say then?
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