Christmas belongs to me because it is part of my cultural inheritance. Christmas belongs to me because of happy memories. I was a child during the Great Depression. I remember farm families coming in sleighs to a Christmas Eve church service. My memory makes the sleigh bells jingle again. I remember crepe paper decorations and a glass ornaments hanging from a real evergreen tree that had no strings of electric lights. I remember the warm glow of burning coal in a fireplace that was only used on special occasions. I remember Christmas carols. I remember that, for a few brief days, in a home where frugality was the watchword there were luxuries - a sumptuous meal, toys, books, candy and Mandarin oranges. I remember being surrounded by love.
I am a rationalist , a Didymus. I don't belong in the fundamentalist congregations of the biblical literalists. Nevertheless, Christianity is part of my cultural legacy. I become resentful when mean-spirited people believe they are preserving the separation of church and state by banning the display of Christmas symbols. Also, I am annoyed when a non-believer mounts a legal challenge to Christian prayer being said at the meetings of city councils and other public bodies. The purpose of a non-believer is not to believe. This being so, a non-believer cannot be injured by the expressions of what others believe.
Historically, there are three elements in Christmas. There is the beautiful and hopeful story of the Baby Jesus. There is the Roman Saturnalia, a period of lawlessness, gluttony and intoxication which began on the 17th day of December, by the old calendar. The Christmas tree, borrowed from the pagan symbol for eternal life came much later. The present purpose of over-educated idiots appears to be the eradication of the Bethlehem story and the Christmas tree and the preservation of Saturnalia.
People who can't find anything useful to do are often eager to argue about religion and evolution. There has been a survey which claims that only 30% of Americans believe in evolution. The fossil record means nothing to them. I suppose they think the fossils which are proof of both the development and extinction of previous life forms were buried by the Devil and his demons just to lead us all astray.
Besides the earlier elements in the culture of Christmas, we now have the shopkeepers' bonanza in the days between Halloween and Christmas which makes the difference between a profitable and a dismal balance sheet. The shopkeepers, large and small, have a vested interest in making the Christmas Season into Happy Holidays, which is a generic term which is more inclusive and leads more people to spend more money.
Everywhere in the world human populations have turned to religion to answer the eternal questions of why and how we are here. In different places there have been different answers. Every belief, unless it teaches the slaughter of the innocent, is worthy of respect. Religious and cultural differences produce a rich diversity in a world which is now threatened by commercial homogenization.
Canadians live in a pluralistic society. Everyone is welcome to celebrate Christmas, but nobody is welcome to change its rituals or its symbols. Christmas belongs to me.
