Xmas

This past week my mother has been repeating to me “Jesus is the reason for the season.” According to her its all folks have been saying this year, religious folks who are annoyed with the commercialization of a holiday meant to celebrate the birth of their savior. The quote is true- Jesus is the holiday’s origin, but the month of December, and all that our culture has decided goes with it, has nothing to do with God or Jesus. And that’s the way I like it.
My secular family has always celebrated Christmas with the exclusion of religion. Aside from the German Nativity scene above our television set, there is nothing that conotates Christianity. Christmas is about movies, songs, food, family and gift giving/ receiving- all fun stuff. Also all things (aside from family) that are products. I do lament that Christmas is a beast that cannot be contained and that my family celebrates it without any deeper meanings attached, but there is no less love for there being less Jesus.
As a child it bothered me more that it does now. I’d ask things like: “What does Santa have to do with Jesus?” or “Why don’t we go to church on Christmas Eve like other families?” My parents would say that that is not what Christmas is about for us. Really, I should not even call it Christmas, but Xmas. And I am okay with that. It is my favorite holiday, even if it is an imaginary one.
It is no less powerful for being imaginary, too. Christmas is an ideology, and to toss out some college-learned identity stuff: Christmas is an imaginary relation to a real condition of existence (Jesus’ birthday….which really may have been in the springtime. More imagination, no?)
So, happy holidays. Be with your family, your friends, your God, or whomever you love.

Inspiration: http://www.slate.com/id/2207374