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Monday, December 20, 2010
Dec. 20th, 2010 11:55 pm A USAToday article about how Christmas for many is secular. This is not really news but it shouldn’t be a shock. For people who are religious Christmas is a religious holiday, for the rest of us it is a national holiday time aimed to brighten up winter. The season does bring good values emphasis on family and togetherness even without religious underpinning. When I was little, New Years served the same purpose. New Years is the biggest holiday in the former Soviet Union. We had a New Year tree and children got presents on New Year’s Day delivered by Grandpa Frost (who looks exactly like Santa) and his granddaughter, Snow Girl (who melted every spring). Kids dressed in costumes for school parties with Grandpa Frost and we got candy too. And we gathered as a family with a big table full of food and we were allowed to stay up until midnight. People enjoyed it because it was also one non-political holiday. We still put up a tree every year and I get presents on New Year’s day (Bear and I split our presents in two –for Christmas and for New Years).
When we moved to America, I enjoyed the holiday decorations on houses but we really didn’t do anything for the day. Sometimes we would go to movies. New Year’s Eve continued to be the day of celebration. Only when I started going to Bear’s house for his family’s celebration did I started to have Christmas traditions. And for me, while I acknowledge and know the religious story of Christmas, it is not about a religious aspect at all, it is about gathering with family. For Bear’s family, Christmas is about Jesus since his parents are very Catholic and I go to church with them this one time a year. I always view going to church as an opportunity for social observation. (The singing is nice and the sermon too but I do get creeped out when everyone starts to say Creed in unison). Over the years, I look forward to Christmas traditions like Christmas Eve seafood lasagna and Christmas pancake breakfast that Bear and I always make. And the afternoon slow opening of presents. And the evening family meal. And I participate in this holiday because I recognize the value of having traditions and holidays while being well aware how traditions develop. I really don’t understand people who think that their religious feelings would somehow be lessened if other people enjoy this holiday for a different reason.
“Men of Certain Age” continues to be lovely.
When we moved to America, I enjoyed the holiday decorations on houses but we really didn’t do anything for the day. Sometimes we would go to movies. New Year’s Eve continued to be the day of celebration. Only when I started going to Bear’s house for his family’s celebration did I started to have Christmas traditions. And for me, while I acknowledge and know the religious story of Christmas, it is not about a religious aspect at all, it is about gathering with family. For Bear’s family, Christmas is about Jesus since his parents are very Catholic and I go to church with them this one time a year. I always view going to church as an opportunity for social observation. (The singing is nice and the sermon too but I do get creeped out when everyone starts to say Creed in unison). Over the years, I look forward to Christmas traditions like Christmas Eve seafood lasagna and Christmas pancake breakfast that Bear and I always make. And the afternoon slow opening of presents. And the evening family meal. And I participate in this holiday because I recognize the value of having traditions and holidays while being well aware how traditions develop. I really don’t understand people who think that their religious feelings would somehow be lessened if other people enjoy this holiday for a different reason.
“Men of Certain Age” continues to be lovely.