It is December 23 and I am preparing for two holidays over the next two days. A secular holiday and a religious holiday take place on December 25. They have co-existed for many years, but the coexistence has become more tenuous in my opinion. Both holidays have a long heritage and overlapping roots.
The religious holiday is clear. December 25 is day on which it is believed that Jesus was born over 2000 years ago. That holiday centers on a religious observation of the birth of Christ and brings with it beautiful music, classic church services, warm thoughts of peace and good will and family gatherings. An exchange of gifts is based on the legend of the three wise men who brought gifts to Jesus.
Also an ancient pagan tradition of celebrating the end of the year with various festivities has long been combined with Christian celebrations. Historically at various times, there was less or more emphasis on the end of the year celebrations.
In an increasingly secular world, some aspects of Christmas have been embraced while omitting the religious aspect. Music has been secularized and romanticized (White Christmas, I'll be Home for Christmas, Rudolph..., etc.) to reflect a nostalgic holiday marked by family traditions, decorations, and social gatherings. This could be described as a Hallmark Christmas as reflected in their film festival which begins at Halloween and ends at Christmas. I love the film festival which gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling at this time of year and even makes me feel good about snow. It is principally secular. Traditional carols have more or less disappeared from the airwaves, but one can still find them on religious channels. I have been recording programs called "The Joy of Music," which EWTN drops into its schedule at various times, including the middle of the night. I then listen to these programs at my convenience. These classical concerts are well worth the effort.
The transformation of an early medieval saint (Nicholas) into Santa Claus is a further reflection of secularization. Santa Claus has become ubiquitous and not just in the West. Christmas trees have also become universal whether called a holiday tree or a New Year tree. Children, especially in our society, get too much and expect multiple presents.
Gift giving generally has been stepped up over our life time, and the shopping season has become the difference for businesses between operating in the black and operating in the red. Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) now begins sometime in November and continues to early December when supplemented by Cyber Monday which seems to last at least a week (instead of just the Monday after Thanksgiving). Personally I do a lot of my gift shopping, mostly online, during the protracted Black Friday season. I admire those who have decided to run against the grain and reduce gift exchanges in their families. It takes courage.
For many people, the next two days will be a blur of family gatherings, food, and gifts, gifts, gifts. Many will not go to any church at all. Some because they do not believe; others because they don't have the time with all the other activities. Some will attend a short carol-prayer service on Christmas eve as a token tribute to recognizing Christ. My church will have masses lasting well over an hour, and closer to two if one arrives in time to hear the music before the mass begins both on Christmas eve and Christmas day. Some friends feel sorry that I go to a long service, but what is Christmas after all?
Whether we say happy holidays or Merry Christmas is perhaps less important than how we personally celebrate. To people whom I know I prefer to say, Merry Christmas. To people whose background I do not know, I am inclined to say, happy holidays. Often a split second choice. I love the fact that there are religious stamps that actually say Christmas. Kudos to the post office.
With two holidays competing for our attention, we who are Christian have to make tough choices and priorities. The secular is winning out over the religious holiday, and coexistence is becoming harder.
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