I have always struggled with Christmas. Even as a child it was a holiday that to my admission did not bring out the best in me as a person. Looking back now upon those memories so much of it seems like engaging in unwanted exercises so that my greed as a child might be satiated. If I wanted presents? I had to be good. I had to help hang decorations. I had to do what I was told. And at the end of the day it never seemed to be about the so-called Christmas spirit but an exercise in patience for those presents that would arrive on Christmas morning.
As an adult I became less and less enamored with the holiday. When the focus shifted away from self-gratification I found myself loathe (and I still do to this day) to shop for others and get gifts. “What do they want? What do they need? Will they even like this?” I have tried different things over the years with my family. One year when I had a good financial windfall I went out of my way to spoil them with all the gifts they could ask for; and no, the Christmas spirit was not magnified. Another year I asked for wish lists..and they were fulfilled. And later I found out that half of the gifts I got were sent back, exchanged, or simply were not used at all. Another year I tried to make the gifts. Those were welcomed with lackluster fanfare as my friends and family didn’t get what they wanted (or what they thought they wanted) from me. And last year I gave away things that were precious to me as a person, and with notes explaining why they were this way and why I wanted them to have these items.
At that point the family thought something was wrong with me.
Whatever Christmas was in its onset, in 2019 it is now a testament to consumerism, corporate profit and of course, another pawn in the endless culture war that is propagated by right wing media. Anyone who doesn’t celebrate it is “anti-Christian”, or is undermining the holiday by trying to include others who might not be Christians in gestures towards goodwill. It’s a failing talking point. And the irony of it is that if you actually look at Christian Scriptures, (citing Matthew 21:13) it states what has happened in plain language: “He said to them, “It is written, My House shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.”
I understand that many do find special significance in this holiday, as it is a time for family but I personally have come to the conclusion that this is not the best holiday for me as a person. It does not signify celebrating, or protecting what is holy. It is no longer about goodwill, or peace on Earth. But as negative conclusions go, what point does any of this make if I can’t rise above it? Is it up to me to find special meaning in this holiday?
For me it isn’t. But ironically enough? There is a holiday that does celebrate the things I believe to be holy, and I am of the belief that as time progresses this holiday will become more important:
Earth Day is my special holiday.
Instead of celebrating one religion (or observing another religion or ambiguity over the celebration) I fully celebrate Earth Day as the most important and sacred holiday on this planet, because it specifically is about something all of us share as a species along with all other species: Earth itself. You don’t have to be a Christian to celebrate Earth Day. In fact, you don’t have to have any sort of religious beliefs at all to observe and celebrate Earth Day. You don’t have to belong to any nation, or any ethnic group, nor do you have to be of any specific persuasion to observe Earth Day. Christmas is about consumption. Earth Day is about preservation and protection. Christmas celebrates the Christian Jesus as holy. Earth Day insinuates that all life is holy. One celebrates life by culling natural resources for ambiance while another encourages actions and deeds to preserve natural resources.
I have the hope that someday, long after I am gone, the importance and inclusion of Earth Day will become more prevalent as people will understand that life itself is what is holy and precious and that we only have one planet that we must all share. And even though children might not like the example of having to work together to clean up litter, or plant trees, or simply meditate quietly in a natural setting over receiving gifts, there are more important lessons towards becoming a better adult and responsible caretaker of the planet in the latter.
And at the end of the day, I think the simple act of planting a tree is holier than cutting one and hanging baubles over it only to discard it once the holiday is over.
So here we are at another Christmas. I shall persevere it, but only because I want to celebrate the holiday that has actual meaning to me.