The Spirit of Celebration
Much fuss is made during the winter holiday season over whose holiday it is. I see signs proclaiming, “Keep Christ in Christmas!” and hear Neo-pagans lay claim to the symbols and traditions of our Dickens-esque trappings. Folks like me who are disheartened by our commercialized culture make note of how the corporate world has injected its infectious ideals into the heart of our celebration.
But these are all just threads in a bigger cloak. The true owner of the holiday is the Spirit of Celebration.
Life is a difficult journey. Simple survival is complicated by the interplay of individuals fighting for the basics and being an emotional creature in a tumultuous world. Suffering is inevitable, and happiness and comfort is not a guarantee.
Celebration is the light that illuminates the worth in suffering. When family and friends can get together to share in the joy of companionship, and be lighthearted and carefree, by gum we ought to do it! Need it be owned by a tradition or a specific group of people? No! If folks wish to include stories of Jesus, or the symbols of Pagan festivities, then great. But why make a fuss over calling it this, or using these, or doing this? This serves only to remove the human aspect from celebration, and creates an ethical system that inevitably limits the freedom to enjoy it.
That’s not to say the tradition and symbols are unimportant; on the contrary, they are the star on the tree. Growing up with a brightly-lit Christmas tree, prettily-wrapped presents, and well-spiced eggnog associates these dressings with the playfulness of childhood and are hard to ignore when making merry.
The symbols are a self-expression. And celebration is human expression. Why limit it?
Thalia said,
December 17, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Well said. It’s futile to try to lay claim on any social construct – whether it’s a holiday, or an educational philosophy, or a dress code, or marriage – and when a group attempts to claim ownership of such constructs, we all lose.
When we dictate who is allowed to celebrate when and where based on our spiritual expressions, we go bust. We can decide who and what and where and when based on our conditioning and habits, but I agree with the sentiment that celebration need not be confined so readily.
Mat said,
December 17, 2008 at 5:15 pm
All I really have to say is that I agree with this.