At church, the mood was lifted as well. For, lo and behold, it's the birthday of our Savior Jesus Christ! Our love, our light! There were so many beautiful songs to belt out that were dedicated only to Christmas. Children play a natural role in the celebration and the story telling is enchanting. People were energized to be involved, to share cheer and good tidings.
I was deeply involved in the church at the time a popular phrase made its debut:
It's so catchy!
People started saying it and soon there were buttons and magnets and cross-stitch; Christians decided that there's only one thing to celebrate in December, all else be marginalized.
I jumped on that Jesus train! Of course, JESUS is the reason for the season! Why else would anyone celebrate in the month of December? That's all I knew. Christmas trees EVERYWHERE, Santa on every corner, decorations galore, Christmas songs for a month long!
And if they're not celebrating Jesus Christ, they're on the commercialized bandwagon of Santa Clause, Rudolf and twinkling lights. They probably didn't even understand the 12 days of Christmas let alone know about the three wise men. I wore my pin like a badge of honor, this was Jesus' holiday and no one else's.
And then I heard about something different... Around the age of 13, my best buddy was a Jewish boy around the corner. He told me about his traditions and I shared ours. So, here's this kid who also believes in God and he doesn't celebrate Christmas while his religion is that of Jesus himself. Say what?! He celebrates Hanukkah and it sometimes falls on Christmas? And it's been celebrated for a couple hundred years longer than Christmas? Say it ain't so, there is another reason for the season? And what about Kwanzaa? Americans with African heritage had been celebrating Kwanzaa since the 1960s!
And then I learned some more... the Mayan calendar was based on the moon. These people celebrated the change of the seasons: Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice and 4 more, based on the rotation of the earth. They had studied the earth and pinpointed every movement and moment around the sun. They had celebrations for the Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. Winter Solstice marks the birth of the sun, the welcoming of more light. Winter Solstice is always on December 21 or 22.
Say what?! There's ANOTHER holiday that falls right around Christmas? And then I found out that the date of Christmas is historically not Jesus' birthday. The date of December 25th was chosen by Christian leaders in the 4th century because it coincided with the long-standing Winter Solstice celebration. Jesus' birthday wasn't even celebrated until then! It was literally designed and placed as an alternative to the Pagan rituals. Christmas traditions, like the yule log, mistletoe, lights and evergreens are all rooted in Pagan tradition.
Um, 16 years old and world.up.side.down. This season we celebrate between Thanksgiving and New Year is not only about Jesus? There are other people celebrating other holidays that have existed longer than Christmas? So why were all these people at church saying that Jesus was the only reason for the season?
All this knowledge expanded my tolerance and appreciation for other cultures. I realized that there are lots of reasons for celebrating in December and all have very special meanings. Most of my family celebrates Christmas and I love being able to expose my children to Christian celebrations. We celebrate Winter Solstice in our house and we talk nearly every day during the Season about different traditions, beliefs and celebrations. We enjoy sharing traditions with friends and family and we delight in giving gifts to our loved ones.
When someone smiles and says, "Merry Christmas", I take it as a loving gesture. I'm not offended. I am happy their heart is so full with the joy of the season. When I smile back and say, "Thank you. Happy holidays!", I hope they feel the love, too.
And for those ostracizing us who say, "Happy Holidays", those of us who celebrate for other reasons, please appreciate our differences. It's all about the reasons for the season: thankfulness and generosity. Don't be offended, instead, say from your heart, "Merry Christmas".
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It's taken a lot of soul searching and research to establish our own family traditions based on our roots in Christianity and our more Pagan-like beliefs. We accept, appreciate, celebrate and learn about other cultures and celebrations. Every holiday season in our house is built upon the last - we celebrate Winter Solstice with a fire, a yule log and a small ceremony; we buy gifts for our family members; we decorate with evergreen and hang special ornaments; we learn about St. Nicholas and Santa Clause; we enjoy special treats. Every year, our family learns something new as we learn and grow together.
My studies of holidays in the month of December has been narrowly focused on what effects other Americans and myself. I'm interested to learn about world-wide traditions that also fall in the month of December. Enlighten me!
•••
Finally, to celebrate Winter Solstice is not to reject Christianity, Judaism or any other religion. Rather it is to show respect to the earth, whether you believe god created it or not. Winter Solstice is an ancient celebration that applies today - the days still get longer after the Winter Solstice. We give thanks to the light, to longer days and new life on earth.
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