For me it started, at least this year, with Will Shetterly's recent posts about the origins of various winter celebrations and the customs associated with them. He's rather specialized in that subject lately, so do peruse his entire December archives for posts about Chanukah and Christmas and Shab-e Cheleh/Yalda and Zoroastrians and Jesus' birth and World Week and much more. Then of course everyone started talking about the Krismas site. Then PZ Myers confesses that he and lots of other atheists celebrate Christmas (complete with a Seussian rhyme that rivals David Goldstein's How the Kvetch Stole Chanukah over at HuffPo), which just totally confused me as I've never but never thought of Christmas as a secular holiday. Winter solstice, sure, that's just nature and science and whatnot, I can understand celebrating the beginning of the return of daylight without ascribing that to any sort of god. But Christmas? Well, Amanda also follows up with her own essay wherein she declares "Christmas is a secular holiday," and ignites a fascinating exchange in the comments section among those who agree and disagree with her conclusion.
And I'm no longer sure where I stand on this.
I think it's because I was raised Jewish and still cling willingly to a lot of Jewish rituals (Chanukah candle lighting among them) that I find comforting and interesting. We were told in no uncertain terms that Christmas, like Hallowe'en, was something Christian kids did. But whereas I could shake off the "don't celebrate All Hallow's Eve" nonsense as I got older and realized the early Christians just pretty much swiped that from Samhain celebrations, I couldn't quite bring myself to embrace the same mindset regarding the winter solstice swiping because, to me, that can't really be separated from the fact that Christians are celebrating the birth of their Messiah and Judaism makes it quite clear that the Jewish Messiah has not yet arrived. I mean, I view that as the key defining difference between Jews and Christians - Jews don't yet have a Savior and Christians do. So days specifically designated to honor the Christian Savior, like Christmas and Good Friday and Easter, are tough to wrap my brain around to even consider as secular, no matter how many businesses are closed during those days. Thanksgiving, definitely secular. Hallowe'en, divorced enough from All Saints and All Hallow's that I can give that over to secular. Christ-Mas? Right there in the name? Not so much. Jesus may not be the reason for the season, but to my mind the celebration of the Christian savior's birth is the reason for the specific December 25 commemoration, and no amount of pagan-derived holly and mistletoe can sponge that away.
That said, I am married to a Christian and do in fact celebrate the winter solstice season, whatever folks like to call it (I'm partial to NODWISH), so the notion of whether Christmas is, or is becoming, a secular holiday rather than a religious one is more academic discussion than anything else. More and more, all families celebrate any holiday in their own way. I'm just curious as to what y'all consider Christmas - religious or secular? Please feel free to pontificate in the comments section!
And, as promised, another link to my Holy Trinity:
Enjoy! I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me (for blog posts throughout the weekend)...
And I'm no longer sure where I stand on this.
I think it's because I was raised Jewish and still cling willingly to a lot of Jewish rituals (Chanukah candle lighting among them) that I find comforting and interesting. We were told in no uncertain terms that Christmas, like Hallowe'en, was something Christian kids did. But whereas I could shake off the "don't celebrate All Hallow's Eve" nonsense as I got older and realized the early Christians just pretty much swiped that from Samhain celebrations, I couldn't quite bring myself to embrace the same mindset regarding the winter solstice swiping because, to me, that can't really be separated from the fact that Christians are celebrating the birth of their Messiah and Judaism makes it quite clear that the Jewish Messiah has not yet arrived. I mean, I view that as the key defining difference between Jews and Christians - Jews don't yet have a Savior and Christians do. So days specifically designated to honor the Christian Savior, like Christmas and Good Friday and Easter, are tough to wrap my brain around to even consider as secular, no matter how many businesses are closed during those days. Thanksgiving, definitely secular. Hallowe'en, divorced enough from All Saints and All Hallow's that I can give that over to secular. Christ-Mas? Right there in the name? Not so much. Jesus may not be the reason for the season, but to my mind the celebration of the Christian savior's birth is the reason for the specific December 25 commemoration, and no amount of pagan-derived holly and mistletoe can sponge that away.
That said, I am married to a Christian and do in fact celebrate the winter solstice season, whatever folks like to call it (I'm partial to NODWISH), so the notion of whether Christmas is, or is becoming, a secular holiday rather than a religious one is more academic discussion than anything else. More and more, all families celebrate any holiday in their own way. I'm just curious as to what y'all consider Christmas - religious or secular? Please feel free to pontificate in the comments section!
And, as promised, another link to my Holy Trinity:
You Shall Be Upheld in More Than This
"So That's Where He Got the Crown of Thorns!"
I Hear People Singing, It Must Be Christmastime
Enjoy! I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me (for blog posts throughout the weekend)...
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