Its Christmas
Christmas is a strange time of year. I have come to realise that it means a lot of different things to people. It is essentially seems to be a time of mass hysteria, but with the hysteria manifesting its self differently in each individual. We in this country, the UK, are haunted by the ghost of Christmas past in the form of the dickensian ideal of Christmas with its rich fruit cakes, snow and redemption.
The ghost of Christmas present would have more in tune with the pre-reformed scrooge as parents, partners and uncles willing dive further into debt in an attempt to buy the perfect Christmas. The smarter cookies in this world are able to recognise the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket.
So the ghost of Christmas future, what does it all mean to me? I'm not a practicing Christian so the true meaning of Christmas is obviously not for me about the birth of some man to a single mother to an absent father, which seemed to have some obviously deep psychological impact. That said I think the foolish rubbish that pervades in some circles in the American elites, and some in this country, about not celebrating Christmas but some 'generic' holiday season is farcical. If your Jewish celebrate Hanukkah, if your a pagan celebrate Beltane, if your a muslim celebrate Eid. If your none of the above call it what you want and have a party. So from a leftist non Christian let me wish a happy Christmas to all Christians, just as I would show respect to all religions.
I do believe Christmas to be a made up ritual, but a useful one. It should be one of those times where your tribe gathers, be they friends, family or some strange man you met down the pub. To me it is a ritual that helps build the bonds between people, creating a sense of shared experience. Something that seems to have gone missing amidst the luxuries and comforts of the 1st world.
This will be only the second Christmas I have spent away from my family. So this year my tribe will be my friends - just as important as family. I'm look forward to sitting down sharing a meal and time with them. But this year I will also find a quite spot to raise a private toast to some of those who are no longer with us, to those who have no tribe to gather with and to those involved in conflicts of whatever kind. I will raise a glass to all of them.
The point being I don't need to believe in an imaginary all powerful superbeing to do this but I can respect those who do and accept the comfort it brings them. To misquote Voltaire, I don't like your imaginary friends but i will defend your right to have them - so long as you do likewise. I do not want to subscribe to the same facism that some of your co-religonists seem intent on.
I will over the Christmas period come back and edit this with other thoughts.
The ghost of Christmas present would have more in tune with the pre-reformed scrooge as parents, partners and uncles willing dive further into debt in an attempt to buy the perfect Christmas. The smarter cookies in this world are able to recognise the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket.
So the ghost of Christmas future, what does it all mean to me? I'm not a practicing Christian so the true meaning of Christmas is obviously not for me about the birth of some man to a single mother to an absent father, which seemed to have some obviously deep psychological impact. That said I think the foolish rubbish that pervades in some circles in the American elites, and some in this country, about not celebrating Christmas but some 'generic' holiday season is farcical. If your Jewish celebrate Hanukkah, if your a pagan celebrate Beltane, if your a muslim celebrate Eid. If your none of the above call it what you want and have a party. So from a leftist non Christian let me wish a happy Christmas to all Christians, just as I would show respect to all religions.
I do believe Christmas to be a made up ritual, but a useful one. It should be one of those times where your tribe gathers, be they friends, family or some strange man you met down the pub. To me it is a ritual that helps build the bonds between people, creating a sense of shared experience. Something that seems to have gone missing amidst the luxuries and comforts of the 1st world.
This will be only the second Christmas I have spent away from my family. So this year my tribe will be my friends - just as important as family. I'm look forward to sitting down sharing a meal and time with them. But this year I will also find a quite spot to raise a private toast to some of those who are no longer with us, to those who have no tribe to gather with and to those involved in conflicts of whatever kind. I will raise a glass to all of them.
The point being I don't need to believe in an imaginary all powerful superbeing to do this but I can respect those who do and accept the comfort it brings them. To misquote Voltaire, I don't like your imaginary friends but i will defend your right to have them - so long as you do likewise. I do not want to subscribe to the same facism that some of your co-religonists seem intent on.
I will over the Christmas period come back and edit this with other thoughts.
posted by gerbil at 1:31 pm
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