December 24, 2012

  • There is no war on Christmas

    Hello dear reader, it's been a while since we last sat down and had a talk about stuff. In fact, reading through my last offering, I found it to be rather tatty compared to some of my efforts over the years and not really worthy of being sent out onto the web, even as virtual toilet paper.

    Anyways, it's Christmas Eve in the great land of Oz so that means  that, once again, it's time for my annual musings on Christmas. Of course, we are all very lucky to be still around to celebrate the event considering the world was supposed to have ended a few days ago. Mind you, if it had, I wouldn't have fallen off a ladder on Sunday, banged up my head and grazed my back on my driveway.

    There are really only two ways to celebrate Christmas. From a religious point of view, it's the celebration of the creation of Christianity 2000 odd years ago. From a secular point of view, it's a time for gathering the entire  family together to share a meal, catch up and pretend you care about what your siblings have been up to in the last 12 months.

    Usually, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I see a few Facebook posts or get a emails from my Christian friends espousing the importance of "Keeping the Christ in Christmas" due to their objections of people wishing others a Merry X-Mas or Happy Holidays. This has always had me wondering about the way people celebrate Christmas personally and why they would think that by not acknowledging the word "Christ" somehow detracts from their enjoyment of the season.

    Now, I will never tell a person that their faith in a higher being is wrong - just because I don't believe doesn't give me that right - but at the same time, I shouldn't be frowned upon because I don't acknowledge the Christian aspects of Christmas. In fact, I'm fairly certain that other non Christian faiths have a hard time coping with this time of the year (and Easter) but you never hear them suggesting that the Christ should be taken out of Christmas - that's reserved for the more radical Atheists who hate every religion and they just embarrass Atheists like me who are way more mellow.

    Christmas is a word. The word itself is not what makes this holiday season what it is and it isn't worth making a fuss about. In the long run, does it really matter if we say Merry Christmas, Xmas or Happy Holidays? When you sit down to your big family meal on Christmas day, you will be celebrating in  your own way and it won't matter to you how anyone else is spending their day. If you are of the Christian faith, you will give thanks to your God for allowing you to celebrate the birth of Jesus. If you aren't, you'll still be thankful, but you'll be thankful to the people you are with for being able to enjoy this special time with your family.

    As for me, I'll be spending Christmas afternoon with friends. We'll eat more than we should, drink enough alcohol to make us say stupid things and probably laugh till our stomachs hurt. How we celebrate Christmas won't detract from how anyone else spends their day and how other people choose to celebrate won't bother me.

    So, in the spirit of the season, I want to wish anyone who reads my ramblings all the best for Christmas no matter how you choose to celebrate it. It's almost the end of 2012 which means we can all start winding down so we can start it all up again for 2013.

    Later days.

    Christmas trivial fact - St Nicholas, the original Father Christmas, is the patron saint of thieves, virgins and communist Russia.