Sunday, December 24, 2006

Merry Christmas

Christmas is great. For a few years, I haven't really had much appreciation for the holiday. On the one hand, it celebrates one of the most important days of a religion in which I hold no faith. On the other, it is crass, materialistic, gaudy and a reflection of what is wrong with western culure. But then I realized something - Christmas is a celebration of the sum total of the component parts that make up the history of the evolution of western society, not just Christianity. The Christmas tree is a perfect example - it's actually an old pagan tradition, adopted by Christians. (Just like the holiday itself.) There is undeniably a secular side to it, representing the increasing secularism of the west. There is a fun side to it for the kids - Santa and what not. And it's pluralistic - everybody, no matter their faith or lack thereof, is entitled to a holiday on the 25th of December, unless of course they work in a job that doesn't permit such a thing.

In short, it's a holiday that unites everybody in at least some way, even if it is a superficial one. In that vein, Merry Christmas.

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1 Comments:

At 12/24/2006 8:03 p.m., Blogger atg said...

I am definately a fan of an excuse to take some time off, buy random shit, and drink at the start of winter. And it is true that, as long as everyone keeps in the spirit of the season, Christmas is a good thing for everyone, a not-neccessarily-religious way to show good faith and cooperation between all different groups of people.

On the other hand, I'm a cynical grinch.

It's a Festivus for the Rest of Us!
(cheers, Ryan)

 

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