Merry Christmas To All

I was not raised Christian. I am a different religion, one that my parents and my ancestors have been for centuries. I truly love my faith and I consider myself to be deeply religious. Even though I am not Christian, I have always celebrated the joyous holiday known as Christmas.

I loved decorating the Christmas tree when I was younger. I thought about what toys I wanted to put on my list for months. I remember going to sleep as early as possible on Christmas Eve, because the sooner I went to bed, the sooner I would wake up and get to rip open my presents. I believed so staunchly in Santa Claus, that no red flag went up in my mind when the presents from him were wrapped in the same wrapping paper as those from my parents. I thought, 'Wow, that's funny! He must have gone to the same store as Mom!' My dad always got a ton of gift baskets from clients and associates, and it was our tradition, after we opened presents, to go through the fruits and specialty foodstuffs as we drank coffee and cocoa, picking out what we wanted to eat, save, or re-gift to Grandma.

It's amazing how early retailers prepare for Christmas, and now with Turkey Day behind us, there will be no stopping them. But I love being reminded that Christmas is coming. After all, it's just one day. Some people think that it's silly to get excited so far in advance of the date-- but in my mind, the month of December means Christmas. I love the songs on the radio, the lights all over the place, the candies suddenly available in red and green, and trading and baking numerous cookie recipes (a tradition I love to share with GW).

I think Christmas as Christians celebrate it is a beautiful thing. Thought it's not actually the day of the birth of Jesus Christ, it seems appropriate to have a day in which they appreciate all that he represents. But I think it's totally ridiculous that some people don't think it's right to say "Merry Christmas", and instead, insist on "Happy Holidays". I hate when people say that we should work and open the post office on Christmas, that it should not be a national holiday. Why can't we all, regardless of religion, enjoy the secular aspects of Christmas, and even its over-arching spiritual message? I would love if others did that with the central holidays of my religion. It doesn't mean that other faiths are less important. Obviously, you don't need to believe in Christ to believe in charity, goodwill, and peace on earth. Christians shouldn't feel that others are co-opting their holiday. Non-Christians shouldn't feel that they are being left out of the Christmas fun. And to be perfectly honest, I don't think the fact that holidays such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa may fall in December is relevant to the Christmas celebration at all.

Christmas is an American holiday. In fact, all countries celebrate Christmas differently, so it's hard to argue with the American aspect of the holiday. I think we should all share in it together. Merry Christmas, bitches.