Friday, December 02, 2005

bah, humbug!

Dear Readers

It's entirely possible that you'll abandon me over this, but right here, right now, I'm fessing up to being a major Scrooge. As a seriously religious person, I'm very interested in Christmas as a holiday in the church year (tho not actually not the most important one even there, as our faith is built around Easter), but as a major secular and commercial festival, count me out. I'll buy each loved one a gift, unless I absolutely can think of nothing they need or want (in which case I'll give them an extra dose of affection and appreciation), and I'll only send Christmas cards to those who just might cut me off at the knees financially if I forgot them.

In that context, you probably can imagine how bored I am with the endless Fox News Channel Discussions over whether retail employees should be greeting us with "Happy Holidays," "Merry Christmas," "a joyous Christnukkahkwanzmas". First of all, as of today, Dec 2, Jews are 13 days away from the beginning of Hanukkah (according to Wikipedia, which must always be taken with a grain of skepticism, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Dec 15th this year) and Christians are 23 days away from the onset of the 12 days of Christmas. If it is a given (and I accept it as such) that Thanksgiving opens the holiday season, then the only appropriate greeting right now is "Happy Holidays". (I didn't look up when Kwanza starts, I just can't accept that festival as anything more than a made up, me-too-because-I-have-the-right-to-be-special-too-party, of limited interest and only esoteric appeal. Do people who celebrate Kwanza remember what all those colored candles are about?)

But if we northern hemisphere folks could remember that we are in that long, dreary, short-dayed time of the year, when our bodies crave carbs (usually in the form of cookies and rich cakes) and our psyches more light (which we supply with those little twinkling bulbs adorning anything and everything stationary), we could stop trying to force a religious context on this long stretch between TDay and Christmas, and simply remember as we celebrate all of the generically "holiday" get togethers that command our presence, that we are waiting for the return of light along with our pre-christian and pagan ancestors. The Jewish tradition can keep its proper celebration of the Maccabbean miracle and Christians can call the light for which they are waiting and will properly celebrate on Dec 25 "Christ". (A funny, and countercultural thing that Christians celebrate the waiting, the coming, the "advent", but that's the church for you, countercultural everytime when it's operating in clarity. I'll always love us for that!)

So go ahead WalMart employee. Say "Merry Christmas" to me today, and I'll likely stop and lecture you about the church year, and make you practice saying "Richest Advent Blessings" with me. Or maybe "A Joyous Solstice to you", because that light (by whatever name you choose to call it) or temporary lack of it, is really the "reason for the season".

Love, Joy, Peace, and the Richest Blessings of Advent be with you, as we await a Joyous Solstice
Kate


Posted by Kate :: 7:54 AM :: 0 Comments:   

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